The 2024 Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin in Paris on July 26. In preparation for the games, the athletes training at the Olympic trials had a particular request—dogs. Emily Klueh, the manager of the swim team's mental health and emotional wellness, stated, “So many people find animals as a calming essence.” She said that athletes are looking for environments to escape the hype and anxiety that come with the high stress of elite competition. The USA swim team partnered with Paws and Think, Inc., a nonprofit that connects people with therapy dogs. Therapy dogs were available to the athletes in their lounges daily during the trials. They are there to comfort the competitors, hoping to make the Olympic team. What does the research show about how animals reduce stress in a highly charged environment?
A 2019 study investigated whether interacting with a dog positively affects college students' mood and anxiety. Students were assigned to either watch videos of a dog or directly interact with one. Several measures were collected before and after exposure to evaluate mood and anxiety levels. The results indicated that participants in both situations experienced a reduction in their anxiety and an improvement in their mood over time. However, those who had direct contact with the dogs experienced a more significant decline in anxiety and improved their mood, offering a promising outlook for the potential benefits of dog interaction. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Kent State University had a unique program called Dogs on........