The Importance of Love and Cuddles for Babies

The prevailing wisdom a hundred years ago was that providing babies with love and affection would ruin them. The psychology books of the early 20th century focused on proximity rather than love between mother and child. However, American psychologist Harry Harlow conducted influential research on the necessity of affection and touch. Harlow's experiments with monkeys revealed the importance of love and cuddles for healthy development. The monkeys showed a clear preference for the cloth mother, even though the wire mother provided them with food. These findings challenged the belief that touch did not matter and reshaped the way psychologists worked with children. Harlow's work, while groundbreaking, was also ethically compromised, particularly towards the end of his career.