Newsroom
Something to cry over
September 08, 2022
Keep the tissue box handy.
Sure, you have it there for the students who come in your office. But you might have been the one needing it this past couple of weeks as all the changes impacting our industry came down (and, in some cases, we still aren’t sure what to tell students).
So, if the start of the academic year has been rough for you, I am going to let you in on my secret for dealing with the stress.
I watch dog videos, read articles about dogs, and, of course, pet my own dog.
In doing so, I learned something: Dogs cry tears of joy when reunited with their humans.
Sure, we all know dogs are happy that we return home – even if we’ve only been gone the 30 seconds it takes to check the mailbox, and, no, this wasn’t something I noticed with my own dog. I learned this tidbit of information reading one of those dog articles that I couldn’t resist clicking on.
According to the study, researchers found that a dog’s tears increase when reunited with their humans, perhaps due to an increase in oxytocin levels. While there are other researchers questioning the validity of the study, I know how I feel when my dog, Libbie, greets me enthusiastically when I return home – even if it is just a trip to the mailbox.
And isn’t that all we need when we’re under a lot of stress – someone to greet us warmly and maybe shed a few tears of joy at our return?