Exams can be an immensely stressful time! However, thanks to one scientifically inclined pooch, stressed out chemistry students can give him a cuddle in order to release some of their exam stress.
The dog in question is called Benzene, or Ben for short.
Ben is a happy-go-lucky Golden Retriever who is just under 2 years old.
After one image of Ben offering cuddles to stressed-out chemistry students was posted on Reddit, his adorable face went quickly viral.
The picture showed Ben and his owner selflessly helping out students.
The above picture gained over 30,000 likes in a day, and was accompanied by the caption, “Bezene’s owner going the extra mile.”
Not only does Ben like cuddles, but as it turns out Ben’s owner loves Chemistry and was more than happy to help out anyone struggling.
People were quick to thank Ben and his owner for their wonderful spirit.
Students who have met Ben, or are heading to the college where he offers his services, took to the comments to thank the pair for their work:
“Holy sh*t, that’s the college a friend of mine goes and the one I’m applying for soon! Glad to know there will be a dog there to play with whenever I get stressed due to chemistry”
“I got to pet Ben yesterday before my 6:30 exam! The whole thing was so wholesome and ben was a very happy lad.”
Ben’s owner has a real passion for chemistry.
Ben’s owner Sebastian is a Ph.D. student, and together the pair make a formidable chemistry duo. The pair can apparently be found occasionally around the Purdue campus where Sebastian has studied.
Ben’s name is even related to chemistry.
Ben’s full name Benzene, is actually an organic chemical compound. It has the chemical formula C6H6, and is a known carcinogen. However, the students at Purdue made sure to let people know this wouldn’t stop them petting Benzene!
“‘Benzene causes harmful effects on the bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. … Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, cancer of the blood-forming organs.’ I’d say it’s worth the risk.”
Hopefully Ben and his owner will continue to spread joy to chemistry students.
I wish Ben had been around when I was studying chemistry — or rather, when I was pretending to study chemistry!
Exam stress can be very damaging, and something as seemingly simple as a cuddle with a dog can do a lot to lower a person’s stress and maybe turn their day around. Well done Ben and Sebastian (can’t believe I didn’t make a Belle and Sebastian joke once), keep up the god work!
h/t: Reddit
