Discovering Love Creature Comfort We are born with needs: hunger, thirst, avoidance of pain. It was thought that only a mother could meet our needs. The mother/baby bond at birth is felt to be the most important moments for true bonding. In 1979 studies showed that the skin-toskin contact enhanced the attachment. Then in 1998 another study showed that kangaroo care (another term for skin-to-skin) was critical to premature infant survival. Experiences with closeness as a newborn have important influences on our ability later in life to love and form bonds.
Harry Harlow, a developmental psychologist, performed an experiment with baby monkeys in 1958 to see if a mother substitute could provide the same needs. He created two “mothers”, one made of wire and the other of cloth. Both “mothers” had a light for warmth and a bottle for food/milk. He
wanted to see if more that just those inborn needs (hunger, thirst) could lead to attachment to the “mother”.
The Experiment Harry Harlow divided a group of baby rhesus monkeys into two. Half were placed with the wire “mom”, the other half with the cloth “mom”.
After time, all of the babies were placed in a room with both “moms” to see how they would react. All of the babies chose the cloth “mom” to attach to, including the babies who were raised by the wire “mom”. They would feed from the wire “mom” and go back to snuggle the cloth “mom”. When an object was placed in the room that was scary to the baby, they all clutched to the cloth “mom”, even though the wire “mom” was their main source of food and warmth. Harry went on to state, “Certainly, man cannot live
on milk alone.” This statement was in complete opposition of behaviorists in that era, who believed that the feeding was the root cause of the attachment.
Revolutionary Results Harry Harlow’s experiment resulted in showing that it is not only our “primary needs” that lead to attachment. Babies, human and animal, need contact and love to truly form a bond with their caregiver. He believed that because of these results, men are fully capable to equally participate in “successful parenting”, contrary to beliefs in this era. But not only men. Surrogate parental figures could also bond with infants, foster parents, adoptive parents, grandparents, anyone. This research has been cited still to this day in studies on how contact can be beneficial for children in hospitals, orphanages, foster care, and even behavioral clinics. Love bonds us. It influences our behavior and our capabilities to show love to others.