Take care of a pet

Cortisol levels can be decreased by having animal companions in your life. In one study, children who engaged with a therapy dog during a quick treatment experienced less anxiety and cortisol.

Another study involving 48 adults found that contact with a dog was more comforting than getting advice from a friend in a socially awkward circumstance. In a third study, pet owners were compared to non-pet owners to see whether canine companionship had a cortisol-lowering impact. Because pet owners had already benefited from their animals' companionship at the start of the study, the latter group had a higher reduction in cortisol when they were given canine companions. Many long-term care centers and university/college campuses have included pet therapy as a natural cortisol- and stress-reducing exercise due to the well-known benefits of pets for lowering stress.