'Cow cuddling' is the new wellness trend that claims to reduce stress and loneliness
There are many things we can do to ease the pangs of loneliness and anxiety, but would you ever cuddle a cow to boost your mood?
Well, over in the Netherlands, people have been dabbling in a new wellness trend called koe knuffelen (cow cuddling) as a unique way to help keep calm. It involves heading out into the countryside, touring local farms and spending up to three hours hugging cows.
Our bodies produce oxytocin when we hug — also commonly known as the cuddle hormone — which helps us to feel relaxed. Thanks to a cow's soft thick fur, it's believed this hormone increases when we hug them.
Research from the BBC explained: "Cow cuddling is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress by boosting oxytocin in humans, the hormone released in social bonding. The calming effects of curling up with a pet or emotional support animal, it seems, are accentuated when cuddling with larger mammals."
Not all cows will be cuddled, however. One of the owners of Kastanje Hoeve, a dairy farm in the Netherlands, explained that you can tell whether a cow has the right temperament to be hugged. "It's something in their character," she says.
It's not just in the Netherlands, either. Over in Naples, New York, Mountain Horse Farm offers guests a cow and horse cuddling therapy session, costing $75 an hour. Spread across 33 acres of sprawling space, it helps visitors to connect with nature while releasing the stresses of life.
The team explain it is a "unique way of interacting, getting close, playing, sharing space, having fun and finding wellness."
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