







Puppies,

they're the furry friends,we take for granted.,But, how does having one affect us?,(upbeat music),- My name is Meg Olmert

and I'm the author of,"Made For Each Other: the biology

of the human-animal bond.",Our journey with dogs began

about 45,000 years ago,according to the latest

archeological evidence.,It preceded many hundreds

of thousands of years,with a more casual, and

perhaps distant, pragmatic,relationship with wolves as well.,But about 45,000 years ago we

start to see the bones change,and indications that A, dogs

are certainly living with us.,And that living with us

appears to have had certain,effects on their biology

and their physiology.,That is what enabled them to,become our best friends.,- [Narrator] How does

this relationship work?,- There is a feedback system

that both neurochemically,and psychologically and behaviorally,that sets up between you and your pet.,And how good you are to your pet,is often exactly reflected back.,Although, what I would say,is they tend to be wildly generous.,More generous than we are.,So, that is why, you know,

they'll be wagging their tail,,you know, thrilled to see

you when you come home,or if it's a cat it's purring.,And you may be very

distracted but they aren't.,You are the greatest thing they ever saw,if you've developed this relationship.,If you've earned it.,You have a different

relationship with your own pet,versus your, even your

neighbor's pet, because it's,,that's your closer family.,It's a different kind of bond

and when they do FMRI studies,just like a mother will

have certain brain regions,light up very strongly in the dopamine,and oxytocin rich areas

when they look at a picture,of their baby versus just another infant.,When you look at a picture of

your dog versus another dog,,you see the same thing.,If you love dogs you're

gonna get this reward,to a degree whether you are

looking at your dog or not.,Do therapy dogs work?,Well they certainly can.,Dogs can do amazing things.,With our program Warrior Canine Connection,we work with service members,and veterans with

post-traumatic stress disorder.,We have the patients who say, "This dog,is better than any drug I ever took.,I didn't sleep for five

years until this dog,slept next to me.",- [Narrator] What happens to your body,when you're with your dog?,- [Meg] Your heart rate comes down,,your blood pressure comes down,,your heart rate variability

which is the ability,of the heart to duck and dive,and respond to stress improves.,You release oxytocin, the opioids,,adrenaline, and serotonin.,So, all of these great reward chemicals,and anti-stress chemicals can be released,in both you and the pet.,- [Narrator] What is oxytocin?,- Oxytocin is a very ancient chemical.,It's in all social mammals.,There's variations on it

that you find in birds,and in turtles, and in worms.,And it most effectively is

known for releasing breast milk,and creating labor contractions.,That's what it was first known for.,So in a sense, it is the

quintessential mammalian hormone,since live birth and production

of breast milk identifies us,as mammals and mammary glands, et cetera.,About 25 years ago they discovered

that besides the oxytocin,receptors and cells in the body

that are producing oxytocin,in the breast and the

uterus, lo and behold,,it's produced throughout the

brain and in all the areas,that control behavior and emotion.,So what was it doing there?,And what they discovered was

that it was talking to other,classic brain neurotransmitters

such as serotonin,,and dopamine and adrenaline,

and the opioid system.,And it was setting up, by

doing that, this perfect,mental physiologic state of calm.,It is the most powerful

drive and it creates the bond,that lasts a lifetime.,That's how strong it is.,(happy music)