Primal
Drive
A famous and harrow-
ing 1950s experiment
demonstrated the pro-
found need for touch
comfort. Influential
child experts of the
era were admonishing
parents not to cuddle
their babies: Harmful
overindulgence, they
insisted. Wisconsin
psychologist Harry
Harlow helped prove
how wrong they were.
His team isolated baby
monkeys in cages with
two fake mother “sur-
rogates.” Even though
only this bare wire
monkey gave milk, the
babies usually spurned
it, clinging to the soft
touch of the surrogate
wrapped in cloth.
AL FENN, LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/
SHUTTERSTOCK