Study: Brain Maxes Out At 150 Friendships
Times (UK), Monday, January 25, 2010 3:09 PM
In the age of Facebook and Twitter, it's instructive to know just how many friendships the human brain is really able to handle. The answer? 150, according to a new study published by Robin Dunbar, professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University. His research reveals that while social networking sites allow us to maintain more relationships, the number of "meaningful friendships" is the same as it has been throughout history.
Dunbar developed a theory known as "Dunbar's number" in the 1990s, which claimed that the size of our neocortex -- the part of the brain used for conscious thought and language -- limits us to managing social circles of around 150 friends, no matter how sociable we are, or how larger our Facebook networks. Dunbar, in case you're wondering, derived the limit from studying social groupings in a variety of societies -- from neolithic villages to modern office environments.
Read the whole story at Times (UK) »
Dunbar developed a theory known as "Dunbar's number" in the 1990s, which claimed that the size of our neocortex -- the part of the brain used for conscious thought and language -- limits us to managing social circles of around 150 friends, no matter how sociable we are, or how larger our Facebook networks. Dunbar, in case you're wondering, derived the limit from studying social groupings in a variety of societies -- from neolithic villages to modern office environments.
Recent Around the Net In Online Marketing Articles
-
Samsung One-Ups Apple With Jay-Z Promo June 18, 9:38 a.m.
What’s one way for Samsung to steal cool points from Apple? Feature Jay-Z in an ad, ... -
Digg Preps RSS Aggregation Service June 18, 9:34 a.m.
Remember Digg? The social news pioneer, which was acquired by Betaworks last year for a half ... -
Yahoo Could Pay $50M For Qwiki June 18, 9:33 a.m.
With no end in sight to its shopping spree, Yahoo is reportedly close to dropping as ... -
Microsoft Bowing Windows 8 Ad Format June 18, 9:27 a.m.
Microsoft today is expected to debut new native ad formats for Windows 8 “The new ads ... -
Samsung Plans Faster Galaxy S4 June 17, 12:01 p.m.
Samsung says it will soon launch the world's first smartphone with a network connection boasting ultra-fast ... -
Apple Tries To Clear Its Name June 17, 11:37 a.m.
Trying to make good with consumers in the wake of reports that technology companies cooperated with ... -
Netflix Taps DreamWorks To Dream Up Original Shows June 17, 11:35 a.m.
Partnering with the makers of "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda," Netflix on Monday announced multi-year deal ... -
Instagram Adding Video? June 17, 11:34 a.m.
Later this week, Facebook will reportedly add a video feature to Instagram. “On June 20, a ... -
Boxee Seeking Investment, Buyout June 14, 11:39 a.m.
Web TV startup Boxee is reportedly ready to raise a lot of money, or sell the ... -
Microsoft Setting Up Shops In Best Buy June 14, 11:38 a.m.
Embracing brick and mortar like never before, Microsoft plans to open 500 “special stores” within existing ...
Be the first to comment on "Study: Brain Maxes Out At 150 Friendships"
Leave a Comment