Actually, they have done studies on contact with other members of the same species. One study included taking baby monkies and putting them in cages with a wooden 'mother', some of which supplied food and some of which were covered with a warm blanket(they were given food in another way). The monkies who had the comforting blanket mother grew up to be more stable and happier than those who had the mother who supplied them with food. Therefore, contact with other members of the species arguably is in fact a need with certain species.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Your right that a person could survive without human contact, but their mental health wouldn't be too good. Have you seen the movie castaway? The guy gets desperate for human interaction that he starts talking to a volleyball with a face painted on it. Humans are very gregarious, that's why solitary confinement in prison is a punishment.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

WIIIIIIILLLLLSOOOOOOOOON!!! I cried so much during that movie it's ridiculous.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/maslow.htm Having friends is the 3rd need in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

While Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs is in no way an ultimate truth, human interaction is a necessity in a well adjusted adult.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is bullshit.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Okay

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Some do need friends to live. Like some people kill themselves because they feel no one cares about them.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Human contact is a need. It's been proven that if an infant is left without contact from their mother, for instance they are feed and clothed, but not held, then it can cause permanent damage to the child. As a species we need socialization or it can cause many disabilities. If you've ever heard of feral children. Most of them can adapt after they get back with human, but there are still remaining issues from their time deprived of it. It is a need.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

There have been studies on this, and, in fact, people need people. They examined people in solitary confinement. When in solitary confinement, it's very likely that you'll go insane from lack of interaction. Some inmates go to the extent of trying to get notes from one door to another just for conversation.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Yep, no friends for me.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I think a better question would be how humans would develop if they not once in their life had social interaction. It's obvious that, after plenty of years of social interaction, solitary confinement is a punishment because you miss that interaction, but you can't miss what you never had in the first place.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

"Not once in their life had any social interaction ...,"do you mean if people were left on their own? If so, they would become feral. Depending on how young, their brains wouldn't develop properly. If never taught speech, the brain in feral children will be about a third of the size of a normal brain. Aside from that, there's a tribe of people (don't remember which) I learned about in a sociology class that make it a point to never hold or show affection to their children, and those kids tend to be overly aggressive when they grow up. I think, developmentally, interaction with other people is a necessity.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

My brother and a family friend were actually just discussing this today. Basically, it depends on your definition of need - there's the basic survival needs, of food, clothing, and shelter, and then there's the psychological needs, of emotional, intellectual, and other mental needs. Side point: Proven that babies die without love and affection. Older people can SURVIVE without it, but that's about all they'll do.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

... It's probably because you didn't have human contact that you made this post :-P

by Anonymous 12 years ago