Love at Goon Park

Harry Harlow and the Science of Affection

Contributors

By Deborah Blum

Formats and Prices

Price

$17.99

Price

$22.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $17.99 $22.99 CAD
  2. ebook $11.99 $15.99 CAD

In this meticulously researched and masterfully written book, Pulitzer Prize-winner Deborah Blum examines the history of love through the lens of its strangest unsung hero: a brilliant, fearless, alcoholic psychologist named Harry Frederick Harlow. Pursuing the idea that human affection could be understood, studied, even measured, Harlow (1905-1981) arrived at his conclusions by conducting research-sometimes beautiful, sometimes horrible-on the primates in his University of Wisconsin laboratory. Paradoxically, his darkest experiments may have the brightest legacy, for by studying “neglect” and its life-altering consequences, Harlow confirmed love’s central role in shaping not only how we feel but also how we think. His work sparked a psychological revolution. The more children experience affection, he discovered, the more curious they become about the world: Love makes people smarter. The biography of both a man and an idea, The Measure of Love is a powerful and at times disturbing narrative that will forever alter our understanding of human relationships.

On Sale
Jul 5, 2011
Page Count
368 pages
Publisher
Basic Books
ISBN-13
9780465026012

Deborah Blum

About the Author

Deborah Blum is the New York Times bestselling author of The Poisoner’s Handbook. She also won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992. Her second book, Sex on the Brain, was a New York Times Notable Book for 1997. She lives with her family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Learn more about this author