Psychology BLm u wit H a new introduction e take it for granted that we should kiss our children, hug our friends, and comfort our partners. But in the early twentieth century, affection between Love “ one of the great untold stories of twentieth-century intellectual history.” parents and their kids was very much discouraged—psychologists thought it w —Steven Pinker would create needy and demanding offspring; doctors were convinced it would spread infectious disease. it took a revolution in psychology to overturn these beliefs and prove the emotional and intellectual benefits of touch. in Love at Goon Park, Pulitzer Prize–winner deborah Blum charts this profound cultural shift by tracing the story of the man who made it possible. through studying neglect and its at life-altering consequences on primates in his lab, Harry Harlow confirmed love’s central role Love at in shaping not only how we feel but also how we think. Goon Park the story of an evolution of both a man and an idea, Love at Goon Park ultimately invites us to examine ourselves and the way we love. Goon Park “Beautifully written.” —TiMe “engrossing.” —THe WasHinGTon PosT H a r ry H a r L ow a n d t h e “Blum does the excellent, requisite historian’s job, illuminating S c i e n c e o f a f f e c t i o n a period whose zeitgeist differs from ours. it’s an irresistible story told exceedingly well.” —robert Sapolsky, scienTific aMerican d eborah d e B o ra H B L u m won a Pulitzer Prize for her writing and reporting about primate 5-1/2 x 8-1/4” experiments and ethics, a subject that she further explored in her first book, The Monkey Wars. Blum B: 15/16” She is the author of The Poisoner’s Handbook—a new York Times best seller—as well as sex on at u Hor of the Brain and Ghost Hunters. Blum is a professor of journalism at the university of wisconsin The Poisoner’s Handbook and she has written for the Los angeles Times, Boston Globe, Wall street Journal, new York and The Monkey Wars BASIC Times, Washington Post, slate, Discover, Psychology Today, and more. She lives with her family PB in madison, wisconsin. www.deborahblum.com $16.99 US / $19.95 CAN 4/COLOR ISBN 978-0-465-02601-2 PMS 877M cover design by nicole caputo 5 1 6 9 9 cover image © Photo researchers, inc. FINISH: a member of the Perseus Books Group 9 7 8 0 4 6 5 0 2 6 0 1 2 Gritty Matte www.basicbooks.com 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page a Praise for Love at Goon Park “In her 1994 book, The Monkey Wars, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Deborah Blum superbly balanced opposing views of the incendiary issue of primate vivisection. In Love at Goon Park, Blum does an equally skillful job balancing the pictures of that psychologist, Harry Harlow, as troubled soul and brutal abuser of his experimental subjects versus helper of humankind through brilliant science. Blum does the excellent, requisite historian’s job, illuminating a period whose zeitgeist differs from ours. It’s an irresistible story told exceedingly well.” —Robert Sapolsky, from Scientific American “Blum’s valuable book is sometimes enchanting and sometimes poignant, but always interesting. It shows the reality behind the simplis- tic stereotypes that have often been associated with this brilliant and troubled genius.” —Duane M. Rumbaugh, Ph.D., The New England Journal of Medicine “Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Blum (The Monkey Wars) rivetingly recounts Harlow’s work while examining the man himself. Blum’s ex- cellent biography, the first major new work devoted to him, should change that. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.” —Library Journal “Blum integrates clear explanations of the theories Harlow was reacting against (such as behaviorism) with details about his fractured home and personal life. An informative, candid biography.” —Booklist “In this surprisingly compelling book, Blum (The Monkey Wars) reveals that many of the child-rearing truths we now take for granted—infants need parental attention; physical contact is related to emotional growth and cognitive development—were shunned by the psychological com- munity of the 1950s. Monkey Wars fans who have been waiting for a follow-up will find this book irresistible.” —Publishers Weekly 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page b “For generations of psychology students, the image of a baby monkey being comforted by a cloth doll is one of their most indelible memories of the subject. Yet even most psychologists know little about the bril- liant, funny, and infuriating man behind the experiments. Nor do many people know about its context—the fall and rise of the concept of love in social science. Deborah Blum combines these elements into a grip- ping biography, written with intelligence, warmth, and panache.” —Steven Pinker, author of The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, and The Blank Slate “Incredible as it may seem, half a century ago leading psychologists scoffed at the notion that affection was vital to an infant’s flourishing. Deborah Blum brilliantly recalls this chilling era, and the scientist whose controversial experiments reaffirmed love’s importance. Love at Goon Park is science history at its best.” —John Horgan, author of The End of Science “Harry Harlow, whose name has become synonymous with cruel mon- key experiments, actually helped put an end to cruel child-rearing prac- tices. How these practices could ever have been advocated is only part of the puzzle presented in this lively biography. Blum does not shy away from the ethical questions raised by Harlow’s research, yet reminds us that he was a complex man who won his battle with the scientific estab- lishment so resoundingly that the outcome is now taken for granted.” —Frans De Waal “Love at Goon Park is the important story of the human need for love. Deborah Blum tells the engaging tale of Harry Harlow and his ground- breaking research with monkeys that proved our essential drive for social attachment. This book is not just good science writing, it’s a great story.” —Meredith F. Small, author of Our Babies, Ourselves and Kids 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page i Love at Goon Park 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page ii Other Books by Deborah Blum The Monkey Wars Sex on the Brain A Field Guide for Science Writers (co-editor) 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page iii Love at Goon Park Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection deborah blum New York A Member of the Perseus Books Group 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page iv Copyright © 2002 by Deborah Blum Hardcover edition published in the United States in 2002 by Perseus Publishing, A Member of the Perseus Books Group Paperback edition published in the United States in 2011 by Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, address Basic Books, 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016-8810. Books published by Basic Books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. Text design by Brent Wilcox Harlow Primate Laboratory photos taken By Robert R. Sponholz and Robert O. Dodsworth A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. LCCN 2002112387 Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7382-0278-5 Paperback ISBN: 978-0-465-02601-2 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page v To Ann and Murray Blum Absolutely my favorite parents 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page vi 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page vii Contents Introduction ix Acknowledgments xiii prologue Love, Airborne 1 1 The Invention of Harry Harlow 7 2 Untouched by Human Hands 31 3 The Alpha Male 61 4 The Curiosity Box 89 5 The Nature of Love 113 6 The Perfect Mother 143 7 Chains of Love 171 8 The Baby in the Box 207 9 Cold Hearts and Warm Shoulders 231 10 Love Lessons 257 epilogue Extreme Love 291 Notes 309 Index 327 vii 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page viii 0465026012-fm_0738202789-fm.qxd 4/1/11 2:38 PM Page ix Introduction to the 2011 Edition hortly after Love at Goon Park was first published, I gave a Sbookstore talk about the central character in my story, the chain- smoking, poetry-writing, alcoholic, impossible genius of a psychologist Harry Harlow. Mostly, of course, I talked about his mid–twentieth century crusade to persuade his fellow psychologists that love was a le- gitimate emotion, that it mattered, that it shaped human development. I’d been struck by a compelling and controversial study he’d done with baby monkeys—one that looked at mother rejection of infant monkeys. The scientific prediction was that the little animals might become neurotic, depressed, somewhat withdrawn.