Tip of the Week

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 summer as news broke about all the changes that will impact higher education.

So, if this summer (or maybe the past few years) 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 dogs.

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. But I was delighted to learn that dogs cry tears of joy at our return.

According to a study done a few years ago, 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 two German Shorthair Pointers, Libbie and Stelle (German spelling), greet me  – even if I was gone only for a few moments.

And isn’t that what we – and our students – want and 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?

– By Catherine Mueller