Dog apologises to man, breaks the internet: Is happiness an aww fix?

By now almost everyone has drooled over the uber cute video of a pet dog "apologising" to his human. In a heart-warming Facebook video posted by Anthony Federica Granai, his pet canine hugs and pecks and necks and cajoles him until the guy has not only forgotten about why he was scolding his dog in the first place, but is also grinning with a unabashed glee at being wooed so earnestly by his adorable friend.

The video has, expectedly enough, gone viral. Anyone pulling an eight/nine/ten-hour-long shift at his/her workplace, drowsy after a long day, will perhaps wake up to happiness after watching the endearing dog hug his human so lovingly.

Do cat and dog videos act like digital caffeine? Do they ape happy hormones, endorphins, or give us an adrenaline rush? Why is everyone going gaga over pretty felines and canines snuggling against their humans, somersaulting on a loop, going after a yoga ball, trying to write your story for you, playing the piano or just lolling about, in gay abandon?

As our jobs take over the largest chunk of our lives, as we become weekend couples, or singles seeing others only on Sundays, as we become experts at disenchantment and solitude, the need to record and put in public domain our moments of attachment with our loving and loyal companions - our pets - becomes irresistible.

A cat video can make the steeliest of executives melt in an instant. A dog spread-eagled on the floor, eager for a cuddle, will bring a smile to anyone's face. They light up a boring workday. It's a placebo effect sweetened with mutual affection between us and our four-legged friends.  

More power to them!