Tag: Dunbar’s number
A transcript of a conversation with Robin Dunbar, Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology, about the research he's led on social group size and social bonding and the limit to the number of meaningful relationships humans can maintain (often referred to as "Dunbar's Number"). This is part of a call out to read Robin Dunbar's recent books ahead of a future seminar podcast discussion about his latest research, building on the foundational ideas explained in the transcript.
Robin Dunbar is a world renowned professor of evolutionary biology. He explains his famous theory of social group sizes, known as Dunbar's number, which suggests there is a limited number of relationships which humans (and other primates) can maintain. We also discuss some of his other findings related to social bonding and the release of endorphins activated by certain interactions such as touch, laughing, singing, and dancing together. Professor Dunbar is with the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford and he is a Fellow of Magdalen College.