Modern Wisdom #604 - Robin Dunbar - The Evolutionary Story Of Human Friendship
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Mar 20, 2023 
Robin Dunbar, an anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist from the University of Oxford, dives into the intricate world of human friendships. He explains why group sizes over 90 can lead to more deaths than births. Discover the surprising differences between male and female friendships, and how the rise of modern loneliness is impacting our health. Dunbar connects brain size to social structures and shares intriguing insights on how friendships have evolved from hunter-gatherer societies to our current social dynamics.
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Social Brain Hypothesis
- The social brain hypothesis explains why primates have larger brains than other animals.
- It suggests brain size correlates with social complexity, enabling management of intricate social groups.
Human Social Group Dynamics
- Natural human groups, like hunter-gatherers, live in fission-fusion societies.
- These dispersed communities, typically 150 people, split into smaller bands of 35-50 to minimize stress.
Stress and Fertility
- Living in close proximity increases stress, negatively impacting female reproduction.
- This stress, primarily between females, limits group size and is seen across mammals.
