The “Need to Belong” - Part of What Makes Us Human

Why are people so strongly motivated to have relationships? According to a landmark paper by psychologists Roy Baumeister and Mark Leary it’s because of a fundamental “need to belong.”¹ The “belongingness hypothesis” states that people have a basic psychological need to feel closely connected to others, and that caring, affectionate bonds from close relationships are a major part of human behavior. 

Here is an overview of the evidence for this hypothesis, point by point.

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Nurse Assistants and Their Resident Patients: When is a Relationship Not a Relationship?

The science of relationships focuses primarily on romantic liaisons, but significant relationships come in all shapes and sizes (e.g., family, friendships, hookups, etc.). Recent research underscores this point, demonstrating that many of the basic concepts of relationship science characterize the relationships between certified nurse assistants (CNA) and their resident patients.1 Such work is important: according to the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are approximately 1.5 million nursing aides/attendants, and the number of new jobs in the profession over the next 10 years is expected to grow significantly.

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To Snoop or Not to Snoop, That is the Question (Part 1)

Have you ever found yourself glancing at your partner’s email, searching his or her browser history, reading your partner's texts, or even checking his or her pockets? I confess, I am notorious for checking my partner’s email just to see what’s going on that he might have neglected to tell me or as a quick way to get updates on what is happening in his life. Importantly, he gave me his password and knows that I do this.  Often, however, people invade a partner's privacy without his or her knowledge and for less innocent reasons. 

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