Interacting with dogs may affect multiple areas of the brain, study finds [Video]

If you decompress by playing with dogs or checking their adorable videos on social media, you might be onto something.Interacting with dogs in such ways may strengthen people’s brain waves associated with rest and relaxation, as measured by brain tests, according to a small study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One.Multiple studies have shown the emotional, physiological and cognitive benefits of interactions with animals, especially dogs — such as boosted energy, increased positive emotions or lowered risk for memory loss. That’s why animal-assisted health interventions are being increasingly used in diverse fields, the study authors said.Previous studies often took “a holistic approach, comparing people’s mood or hormone levels before and after spending time with a dog,” said the study’s first author, Onyoo Yoo, a doctoral student in the department of bio and healing convergence at Konkuk University’s graduate school in Seoul, via email.In this new study, Yoo and colleagues …