It may seem surprising, but cows are real health aids. Cuddling these cattle proves to be a therapeutic activity for people suffering from stress or anxiety. But these four-legged mammals do not interact in the same way with a man as with a woman, according to a study published in the journal Human-Animal Interactions.
The authors of this study, Katherine Compitus and Sonya Bierbower, had proof of this after conducting an experiment with eleven people – five women, five men and a little girl – aged 13 to 79 years old. The latter each had to interact with two castrated male Holstein cattle for at least 45 minutes. These animals, both about a year old, were raised on a small sanctuary farm in Goshen, New York.
For the purposes of this experiment, the academics gave each volunteer a brush and a bag of treats to facilitate their interactions with the oxen. They asked each of them to fill out a questionnaire, after spending time with the cattle. They had to detail their experience in the company of these animals.
Volunteers wrote there that they felt the oxen often initiated non-threatening interactions with them. The animals approached them to smell them, lick them or accept food from them. In contrast, women reported more situations in which oxen licked them, accepted food from them, or reacted to their training attempts.
Men have also had similar experiences. However, they found that the oxen sometimes behaved aggressively towards them. They were less affectionate with them, and let themselves be kissed less by men than women. “Did the men interact with the cows? Absolutely, and they say they enjoyed it. It's just that, for some reason, women seem to enjoy this activity more, as do cows.“, explained Katherine Compitus to New Scientist magazine.
Katherine Compitus and her colleague need to conduct further research to determine whether the oxen perceived personality differences between participants based on their gender. Regardless, the researchers are convinced of the therapeutic virtues of cattle. And they're not the only ones: in the north of England, Dumble Farm offers cuddling sessions with cows. It's a success since the slots are reserved months in advance on the farm's website.
