• Question: what inspired you to begin studying human relationships?

    Asked by orla to Sam, Rose on 13 Jun 2017. This question was also asked by Matt, Tilly.
    • Photo: Sam Carr

      Sam Carr answered on 13 Jun 2017:

      I think I was fascinated by the fact that our relationships (or the lack of relationships) really do have a massive influence on our lives. You don’t have to look far for examples of this:

      For example, some children are literally psychologically destroyed by relationships with their parents that have involved emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, crippling expectations, or neglect. The “relationship” causes so much pain and suffering and shapes the inner mind of the child in so many ways.

      Some old people are crippled by the LACK of any connection to anybody. They have no love, no support, no companionship – and they suffer intensely from this LACK of connection.

      Having relationships can be so fundamentally important to our well-being – and it can be so massively damaging when they go wrong. They are such a big part of human life – and that’s what inspired (and inspires) me to study them.

    • Photo: Rose Turner

      Rose Turner answered on 17 Jun 2017:

      I was always interested in understanding other people. I think it’s because I found my family confusing when I was young (doesn’t everyone eh!) and so I became fascinated in understanding why people act in certain ways, and also how different people’s experiences can differ (e.g. in terms of relationships with parents, siblings, friends and so on).
      Humans are very sociable animals, and so relationships really do seem to be at the centre of human experience. Lots of research has shown that people with strong social networks are happier and healthier than people with less positive relationships. So relationships have a real impact on our happiness and on our physical health too. For me, understanding others and being kind to them is one of the key ways to improve communities and our society. So now I try to research the ways that people can become more empathic (better at taking other peoples’ perspectives and feeling what other people feel in different situations) and kinder towards others. I think this could help us to bridge gaps between people and communities 🙂

Comments