At this point, the science of pets is well-known. Petting a dog or cuddling a cat increases oxytocin in your brain, the hormone associated with love, belonging, and connection. Just a few minutes of petting a dog can calm and soothe you, lower blood pressure, and decrease stress.
But why should dogs and cats get all the love? There are lots of gentle, loving animals out there that love cuddles and offer plenty of mental and physical health benefits when you cozy up to them. One animal, in particular, is getting its moment on social media right now.
Why cuddling cows is a mental health secret weapon
No disrespect to dogs and cats, but the humble cow has a lot to offer as a cuddle buddy.
Cats are highly independent and temperamental. While the gentle vibrations of their purrs can be incredibly soothing, they can just as easily decide that cuddling time is over and end the session abruptly. That’s if they even agree to it in the first place.
Dogs, on the other hand, are often incredibly loving and affectionate but also energetic and playful. Outside of senior dogs, they sometimes have trouble staying still and resisting the urge to lick your face.
Both are also, with a few exceptions, relatively small compared to the average human.
Cows are slow-moving, calm, gentle, and comparatively gigantic. Psychology Today says their “slow, deliberate movements…can have a soothing effect on people.” Their size, and the fact that cow cuddling often takes place outdoors on a farm, creates an incredible feeling of safety in many people. That’s why cow cuddling has become a popular therapeutic choice for people suffering from serious emotional trauma.
And when you consider the fact that dairy cows can have a resting heart rate as low as 48 beats per minute, which is dramatically slower than cats, dogs, and humans, it’s no surprise calmness practically radiates out of them.
Their ability to reduce anxiety has even be scientifically studied.
Cow cuddling trend goes viral
Google Trends shows virtually no interest in “cow cuddling” until an explosion in the last couple of years. Now, everywhere you look on social media—Instagram, TikTok, even LinkedIn—real people are traveling to animal sanctuaries to try it for themselves.
If there’s a downside to snuggling cows, it’s that it usually can’t be done from the comfort of your own home. You’ll have to travel and arrange a time, but getting out into the fields with these bovines is part of the appeal for many.
Wellness and fitness expert Courtney Confare shared about her cow cuddling trip on LinkedIn, writing, “When you’re physically close to one – touching them, sitting with them – your nervous system picks up on that slower rhythm and begins to mirror it. Heart rate drops. Cortisol drops. The body shifts out of fight-or-flight without you doing anything consciously.”
Kaylee Andrew, an Instagram influencer with over 300 thousand followers, said her day spent at the cow sanctuary was “the best” day of her life.
Cow cuddling has international roots
People have been raising cows for milk and beef for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that humans realized brushing, hugging, and petting cows could be just as helpful as farming them.
Cow cuddling originally hails from the Netherlands, where it’s known as “koe knuffelen.” Most reports agree the practice originated in the early 2000s.
Fittingly enough, cow cuddling began to grow internationally sometime during the COVID-19 pandemic, when hugging your friends and family was off limits for many people and many were in dire need of a mental health boost.
Owners of farm animal sanctuaries say that cow cuddling is good for the cows, too, when done ethically. The best farms do not force the cows to cuddle or interact with people, but many cows are more than eager to. Visitors often walk away with a greater appreciation of the sensitivity and intelligence of these animals.
