Harlow’s “Nature of Love” experiment was a series of studies conducted by American psychologist Harry Harlow in the 1950s and 1960s. The experiments focused on understanding the importance of social and emotional bonds, particularly in the context of infant attachment.
Harlow conducted his research using rhesus monkeys as subjects. He created two surrogate “mothers” for the baby monkeys: one was made of wire mesh and provided food, and the other was made of soft terrycloth but did not provide any nourishment. The purpose was to investigate whether the baby monkeys would prioritize physical comfort or the fulfillment of their physiological needs when forming attachments.
The results of the experiment were groundbreaking and challenged the prevailing theories of attachment at the time. Harlow observed that the baby monkeys spent significantly more time clinging to the cloth mother than the wire mother, even when the wire mother held the milk bottle essential for their survival. This finding indicated that the monkeys sought comfort and emotional security from the soft, nurturing surrogate rather than merely seeking nourishment from the wire mother.
Furthermore, Harlow conducted variations of the experiment to examine the impact of early maternal deprivation. He separated infant monkeys from their mothers for varying lengths of time and found that those subjected to prolonged separation showed signs of significant emotional distress and impaired social development. These monkeys often exhibited abnormal behaviors, such as rocking back and forth and self-harm, illustrating the critical importance of early attachment experiences on psychological well-being.
Harlow’s “Nature of Love” experiment had a profound impact on the field of psychology, leading to a greater understanding of the role of emotional bonding in the development of social relationships. His research emphasized the importance of emotional contact and care in infancy, not just for survival but also for healthy psychological development. This work laid the groundwork for later attachment theories, like John Bowlby’s attachment theory, which further explored the significance of early emotional bonds in human development and continues to influence research on child psychology and parenting practices today.