The Neuroscience of Human Relationships: Attachment & the Developing Social Brain

I had barely started this book and was already recommending it to friends and colleagues. Early in the second edition of The Neuroscience of Human Relationships, psychology professor and private practitioner Louis Cozolino challenges traditional Western philosophy of the lone and separate individual. As Cozolino writes, “Individual neurons or single human brains do not exist in nature. Without mutually stimulating interactions, people and neurons wither and die.” In many ways, I think this should be required reading for pundits and political and economic theorists, at least in the U.S. Too often these talking heads espouse ideas without the backing of legitimate empirical data. They are like Aristotle postulating that women have fewer teeth than men, but never actually counting teeth to test his hypothesis. According to Cozolino, “While thinkers such as Nietzsche, Machiavelli, and Rand have extolled the virtues of the Ubermensch (superman) and society even lionizes those who gain prominence and success, selfish behavior has not proved to be a successful strategy for group survival.” His book has a wealth of information, all thoughtfully and clearly presented. (Included, too, are 177 pages of studies cited, with about 15 studies per page.) Cozolino tells the story from an evolutionary and developmental perspective that goes across species. In doing so he shows how all of us and everything around us are interrelated, with nothing existing in isolation. It is fascinatin...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Autism / Asperger's Book Reviews Borderline Personality Children and Teens General Parenting Pediatrics for Parents Professional Psychiatry Psychotherapy Social Phobia Spirituality Attachment Brain Louis Cozolino Neuroscience Source Type: news