
A study has shown that pubescent cows and teenagers go through the same range of emotions in adolescence.
A team of scientists at the University of British Columbia reported that puberty and hormonal changes affect a cow’s personality similar to what humans go through in their adolescent years.
In the study, published in Royal Society Open Science, researchers indicated that cows go through “emotional confusion” during their sexually maturing years, as surging hormones make them increasingly moody and unpredictable.
“Our study identified a period of inconsistency in personality traits over puberty,” said Nina Von Keyserlingk, a professor of animal welfare at the University of British Columbia in Canada in a report by The Guardian.

Study
The scientists observed Holstein dairy cattle and assessed their personalities at different stages of their lives namely one month, three months, one year (the age of pubescence), and two-and-a-half years.
While observing them in a test arena, they recorded their interactions with new people and unfamiliar objects to assess two personality traits, one being: level of boldness and the other: eagerness to explore.
While the cows were relatively stable and balanced as calves and adults, they were surprisingly moody between six to eight months – the age of the onset of puberty, and showed moods similar to the emotional upheaval that teenagers go through in their adolescent years.
“Some calves and cows will immediately approach and investigate the object or human, or explore the new environment, while others will never touch the object or human and stand still for the duration of the test,” said von Keyserlingk.
“This phenomenon is similar to that seen in humans, where teenagers often will express different personalities to that of when they were younger, and may again express different personalities when they grow up.”
Conclusion
With the study, the BC researchers want to help “improve the lives of animals on farms,” by understanding cattle personalities and how they change during the course of their lives.
The results also bring to light that animals are living sentient beings and experience emotions, pain and suffering.
Lori Marino, a neuroscientist and executive director of the Utah-based Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy and co-author of The Psychology of Cows, highlights in her book that cows have distinct personalities, display complex emotions, are discernable of their surroundings and are cognizant of the way they are treated.
Referencing the results, she told The Guardian, “It is a time when humans, too, are quite volatile in their moods and personality traits. This finding again demonstrates how similar we all are, whether we are cows or primates.
“Of course, it makes pubescents less predictable and that can translate into how we interact with them. But in the end it tells us that if cows and humans share so much of their psychology with each other, we need to look at cows as beings who also have feelings about being farmed and having their children taken away from them in the dairy industry.”
Share this article to show the world that cows are similar to humans in experiencing emotions and should not be viewed as food commodities.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
Vegan Nottingham student creates budget-friendly oat milk machine to reduce carbon footprint and combat rising prices
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 30th May 2023
The invention is sustainable and cost-effective. A vegan undergraduate studying product design at Nottingham Trent University has developed a container that can help people create their own oat milk at home for just 20 pence per litre. “Oatilicious,” provides significant cost savings compared to store-bought oat milk for up to £2.20 per carton. The innovative …
Bear Grylls ’embarrassed’ by past vegan diet promotes meat, blood, and bone marrow for better health
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 15th May 2023
“I’ve tried to listen to my body more, tried to listen to nature, and I don’t miss vegetables at all. I don’t go near them, and I’ve never felt stronger, my skin’s never been better, and my gut’s never been better.” Adventurer and TV presenter Bear Grylls has become a die-hard carnivore fan after admitting …
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …