Morality in animals and stress reduction

How are these two topics related?
By Buddhism, of course!

In the sutras Buddha have told stories of all animals can help or even sacrifice themselves for others. Sounds incredible? Well, more and more evidence shows that animals are indeed capable of doing that. A monkey and a rat would rather starve themselves than obtaining food at the cost of hurting another of their kind. Chimpanzees have drowned themselves trying to save others. Dolphins gathered to carry shipwrecked humans to safety. These are real stories reported by scientists that seem obvious to Buddhists but incredible to those who believe that only humans have intelligence and ethical behavior. Here are a couple of links: New York Times article, a book by a U. of Colorado professor Marc Bekoff, "Wild Justice".

On another thread, CNN just reported on a West Virginia University study that identified the benefits of mindfulness practice on reducing stress.

they found those who received the mindfulness training "had significantly less daily hassles, psychological distress and significantly fewer medical symptoms" -- like lower blood pressure and fewer aches and pains -- than those who were handed a pamphlet.

Waugh says she was thrilled to find that after practicing mindfulness techniques, the back pain that had plagued her for almost a decade went away. She also said she "communicated better with fellow employees and actually had a better attitude towards my job." ...

Mindfulness is not new. It goes back to the time of Buddha, who believed that the mind should always be fully in the present -- not looking back at the past or anticipating the future. Being mindful of the here-and-now, Buddha said, reduces stress and brings inner peace ...

According to the study, even 10 minutes of meditation can help. "[Meditation] can take the anxiety out of a stressful workday," said Williams.

West Virginia University is not the first -- or only -- institution in the country that has tested the effects of mindfulness techniques on stress. UCLA completed a study a few years ago that found the same thing the WVU study found: Mindfulness exercises are excellent stress-busters ... Yale University is recruiting patients for a smoking cessation study that includes a mindfulness training component.