Cows would rather be cuddled by females.
Cows would rather receive hugs from female human beings
Embracing the bovines has been suggested as a method to ease stress and anxiety and research has concluded that the fairer sex gains the most benefit from the unorthodox practice.
Researchers recruited 11 humans and two Holstein bulls called Magnus and Callum to take part in the study.
The animals spent 45 minutes of contact time with each person where they smelled, licked and accepted food from them.
Analysis showed that the cows had a strong preference for female company compared to men while the ladies reported stronger feelings of attachment towards the cattle.
Dr. Katherine Compitus, one of the authors of the research at New York University, said: "We have discovered in the current study that bovine-assisted therapy may not only be an effective treatment model that benefits human participants but appears to enriching to the cattle participants as well, as shown by their proximity and continuous interactions with humans."