Children's 'love hormones' surge when they play with dogs.
Playing with dogs makes children happy
Scientists have found that kids get a burst of the hormone called oxytocin when interacting with pooches.
Oxytocin is released into the bloodstream and is known to lower stress and anxiety as well as helping humans to express their emotions.
The hormone was discovered at higher concentrations in youngsters when they played with canines compared to playing on their own with toys and games.
Scientists recruited 55 children who played with their pet dog, an unfamiliar dog and by themselves on three separate visits to the Arizona Canine Cognition Center and found that oxytocin levels where consistently higher in children who had interacted with the animals.
Gitanjali E. Gnanadesikan, leader of the study at the University of Arizona, said: "To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence for an effect of affiliative social interactions with dogs on oxytocin concentrations in children."