Humming along to "Eleanor Rigby," I began listening more acutely to the astounding lyrics of this Beatles song from 1966. How profoundly insightful their music was when it came to the the human condition from a psychological point of view. The Beatles were the pop psychologists of their times! "Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been. ... All the lonely people, … [Read more...]
Monkey love: When hugs mean everything
Back in the 1950s, Harry Harlow of the University of Wisconsin conducted an important study of baby monkeys at his research lab in Goon Park. The purpose of Harlow's study was to see under which conditions did baby rhesus monkeys best thrive. For the experiment, Harlow used wire frames to create two kinds of surrogate mothers. He presented these artificial moms to infants who had been … [Read more...]
Sorry seems to be the hardest word
We often think that saying "I'm sorry" is an admission of being flawed or weak. After hurting another person, we feel bad but still resist saying those two words -- usually for fear of feeling shame or humiliation. Or for fear we're lowering ourselves. Instead, we hear ourselves saying words like "I apologize" or "I didn't mean to hurt or upset you" -- anything but "I am sorry." Something … [Read more...]