A group of fifth-graders recently put themselves into the mindset of one of our vulnerable primate cousins. Learn about the project and its long-term benefits.
Category Archives: The Bonds Between Us
Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior
Do socially beneficial actions in our closest cousins reflect how humans evolved a sense of morality? Primatologist Frans de Waal thinks so.
Google’s India Strategy: One Teardrop at a Time?
The 1947 partition of India and Pakistan into two separate countries may have separated friends, but technology has the power to reunite them, at least in the world of advertising.
We’re More Alike Than Different
One in every 700 children born in the U.S. will have the chromosomal variation that causes Down Syndrome. People with Down Syndrome face challenges, but being part of the community shouldn’t be one.
Here’s Why Childhood Friendships End, According to Science
Do you have fond memories of your best friend in elementary school, yet barely acknowledge each other when you pass in the hall of your high school? If so, you’re far from alone.
5 Ways to Maintain Lifelong Friendships
How can you make sure that the strong friendships you form in high school will last as the years pass?
How the Five Web Literacies Are Becoming Essential Survival Skills
Despite the hue and cry that technology isolates people, social sciences author Howard Rheingold argues that it in fact enhances our capacity to interact with each other and together build a better world.
iCivics
Begun by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the iCivics website encourages young people to become engaged and active citizens. Check out the resources and play the games.
As Long As We Both Shall Live
Explore this site, which combines photographs with interviews to provide insight into the bonds shared by couples who have been together for over four decades.
Lanterns That Carried Prayers
Traditional paper lanterns don’t just create beauty; they also carry deep symbolism. Read about how one small community in Hawaii came together to express their grief through a display of handmade lanterns.
Children’s author Eric Carle reconnects with lost Syracuse friend after 82 years
You’re probably familiar with author and illustrator Eric Carle’s many works for very young readers. One of his books, “Friends,” stemmed from the hope of finding a long-lost friend known only from a single old photograph.
Why We Laugh
Laughter serves an important social function, helping us form bonds with others. Learn more in this TED Talk by neuroscientist and comedian Sophie Scott.
Newborns Can Bond to a “Mother” from a Different Species
Birds of a feather may flock together, but it doesn’t have to be so. Studies show that a newborn animal will bond with whoever is around to take care of it—even if they aren’t the same species.
A Best Friend? You Must Be Kidding
Some of our best friends are the ones we make during elementary school. But some schools actively discourage the formation of close friendships. Read about the reasons in favor of and against BFFs.
How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy
Social media can help people connect with others, but it has other, less-positive effects as well. A best-selling psychology author explores this surprising phenomenon.
Do Twins Have a Mysterious Connection?
We sometimes hear about remarkable coincidences in the lives of twins who have lost touch with each other or live hundreds of miles apart. Do twins share such a strong bond that they can experience each others’ distant thoughts and feelings? Or is something else at work?
Chimps Display a Hallmark of Human Behavior: Cooperation
Strong interpersonal connections aren’t only for humans. Learn more about the traits we share with our close genetic cousins, chimpanzees.
Dogs Recognize Familiar Faces from Images
Most scientists once thought that only humans and primates had the ability to recognize familiar faces. However, a recent study shows that dogs also have that ability. Read the article to find out more.
Love hormone helps autistic children bond with others, study shows
One key characteristic of autism-spectrum disorders is difficulty in interacting with others. Recent research has opened the door to a possible solution.
Wife on Mars: A love story
In marrying, a couple may vow “to have and to hold” each other “till death do us part.” But what if what parts spouses is not death, but more than 35 million miles of empty space? Learn how one couple hopes to sustain the bonds between them while one remains on Earth and the other journeys to Mars, never to return.