A surprising number of Gen Zers and millennials in Philly region continue to sleep with stuffed animals as adults, writes Alfred Lubrano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Many adults under 40 find that stuffed animals offer emotional support. It is almost therapeutic the way it eases anxiety and helps them sleep better, they say.

“It’s embarrassing, but I’m 31, and I still sleep with the same teddy bear I’ve had since I was a baby,” Rachel Feldman of Glenside said.

A recent survey of 6,000 adults found that 23% of adults have regularly slept with a stuffed animal.

“It adds a little emotional texture to life,” said Max Genecov, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at the University of Pennsylvania who has written about stuffed animals.

“And these days, young people are much more open about talking about having animals, and about taking a transitional object — something from childhood to adulthood — comfortably,” Genecov said.

Read more about this trend in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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More on emotional attachments to stuffed animals.