Prompt Cast
The Magic Number of Friends: Exploring Dunbar's Theory on Social Networks
TLDR According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar, the average human social network consists of around 150 people, with numbers beyond that leading to conflict or tension. While some studies suggest different numbers, Dunbar's theory could have implications for fields like demography and economics.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
As people get older, the chances of making new friends or adding to one's social group decrease, potentially due to a cognitive load that having friends puts on us.
02:19
Robin Dunbar, a British anthropologist, became obsessed with the idea that there is a magic number, around 150, that represents the maximum number of friends a species can have based on the size of their neocortex, which he studied and found to be true in primates.
04:37
Robin Dunbar found that the average human social network is around 150, and anything above that tends to result in conflict or tension.
07:45
Beyond the number 150, other numbers that pop up in human social networks are all factors of five, with the closest people numbering five, followed by 15 good friends, 50 friends, 150 meaningful contacts, 500 acquaintances, and 1500 people you can recognize.
10:02
Studies have found different numbers for the size of human social networks beyond 150, with some suggesting numbers like 290 or 611, and it is likely that the distribution of contacts follows a power law rather than a bell curve, with outliers having the most contacts and most people having far fewer contacts.
12:11
Dunbar's number applies to the online world as well, and accurately predicting group size could revolutionize fields like demography and economics, but it doesn't always hold up in practice.
14:25
The host reflects on a recent gathering of old and new friends, including a surprise appearance by a friend with a brand new baby.
Categories:
Society & Culture
