Effects of domestic versus exotic animals on stress reduction

Abstract

The use of animals as a therapeutic tool is becoming a more widely studied concept. Researches are finding that animals tend to have positive effects on people. The effect of animal pictures on stress reduction was examined on 65 undergraduate and graduate students. Participants took a timed, stress inducing, mathematical exam and then viewed a short slideshow presentation of animal pictures. Upon completion of the presentation participants filled out a likert-scale State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The slideshow participants viewed entailed one of four conditions: domestic adult animals, domestic juvenile animals, exotic adult animals, and exotic juvenile animals. Results showed that the level of stress was not affected by the independent variables. Overall, the mean level of stress varied a minuscule between each condition.