Research reveals that cows have rich emotional lives, experience positive and negative emotions, and form lasting social bonds.
Understanding that cows experience positive emotions like excitement and satisfaction alongside negative ones like fear and grief fundamentally changes the welfare calculus of dairy and beef production. It is not sufficient to avoid obvious physical suffering — high welfare standards must also address the psychological wellbeing of animals capable of optimism, friendship, and grief. The evidence for cow emotional lives has emerged from careful behavioral science that welfare standards have been slow to incorporate.