A way to make work less stressful? A pet at your desk

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A way to make work less stressful? A pet at your desk

Posted by: Colleen Stoxen Updated: March 30, 2012 - 2:14 PM

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If you’re a pet person, there’s probably nothing you’d like more than to bring your four-legged buddy to work with you. And if the latest research is any indication, you’d probably be a lot happier and less stressed on the job if you did.

In a preliminary study published in the Journal of Workplace Health Management, scientists found that people who brought their dogs to work reported lower stress throughout the day than employees without pets or those who had pets but didn’t bring them to work.

Many previous studies have linked the presence of pets with less stress and better health. In studies in hospitals and nursing homes, for example, animals, whether on short visits or longer stays, have contributed to lower blood pressure, faster recovery from surgery and even improvements in depression for patients. So Randolph Barker, a professor of management at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, wondered how much benefit employees could get from having a furry friend with them on the job.