Sandwiches of America: A 50-State Tour of GOOD Sammies

Everybody has had a special furry someone in their lives, whether it was a bear, an otter, a wolf, a giraffe…you know, a stuffed animal to keep and hold dear. While we are often taught that this is something to abandon after childhood, new studies have shown that keeping a stuffed animal close as an adult is actually really good for your mental and physical wellbeing. Plus, it turns out sleeping with a stuffed animal as an adult can not only provide comfort and help assuage trauma, it can also ease anxiety and stress.

It turns out there's a positive psychological response to having a cozy, fluffy friend that can offer a feeling of closeness. This response can be generated by traditional stuffed animals or even weighted stuffed animals, which can duplicate the feeling of being held. Stuffed animals can also help ease past childhood memories when owners care for their creatures, in turn offering the love they perhaps didn’t know as children, CNN shares. As Rolling Stone also reports, “Doctors and therapists have been using weighted teddy bears for years to help patients deal with grief and loss.”