Interpersonal communication has been observable and analyzable since the beginning of civilization, and even before that, among early humans and even animals. Communication is considered one of the fundamental factors affecting an individual’s quality of life and is one of the areas where cognitive errors, such as the halo effect, can occur. You are defined within your circle of communication, and it is within this circle that society is defined for you. In fact, what differentiates humans from other beings is a more advanced level of communication.
The human brain has a specific and limited capacity for the number of people it can interact with, and this number remains constant. In other words, in order for someone to enter your circle of friendship, you need to remove someone else from that level of the circle and replace them with the new person.
Dunbar’s Number
A British anthropologist named Robin Dunbar researched the ratios and numbers related to interpersonal communication and discovered that the human brain has a capacity that allows it to form relationships with up to 150 people. In other words, Dunbar’s number represents the cognitive limitation of the brain in establishing connections.
Depending on the type, level, and depth of the relationship, the degree of intimacy and trust, human relationships are divided into concentric circles. The circles start with the smallest number, 1.5 people, and larger circles include the numbers 5, 15, 30, 50, 150, 500, and 1500.
The two outermost circles do not consist of your close friends, and the circles closer to the center are characterized by greater trust and intimacy than the larger circles.
To help categorize your friends and acquaintances within these circles, you can answer these questions:
- When was the last time you met this person?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the intimacy of your relationship?
- How much time during the day do you spend thinking about this person?
- How important is their physical and mental health to you?
Answering these questions can help define the boundaries and significance of your relationships.
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Calculation of Dunbar number
the concentric circles of human relationships are divided into the following categories:
- The 1.5 circle: This circle represents your romantic partner.
- The 5-person circle: These are people who are very close to you, who are there for you during difficult times, listen to your problems and secrets, and keep them safe. They are considered your core circle.
- The 15-person circle: These are your good friends, people you trust, and whom you can rely on. For example, you could leave your child with them for a while.
- The 50-person circle: These are good acquaintances, people you meet at events and celebrations.
- The 150-person circle: This is known as Dunbar’s number, the anthropological threshold, consisting of acquaintances with whom you have minimal interaction.
- The 500 and 1500 circles: These include people you have met at some point in your life or whose names you have heard.
Your acquaintances can move between these circles, either coming closer to the inner circles and becoming more intimate or moving outward and distancing themselves from you. Additionally, the amount of time you spend with people in each circle is defined.
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Dunbar’s View on the Circle of Connections
Dunbar says that in order to start a relationship with your romantic partner, you must at least give up two of your very close friends. This effect extends outward to the more distant circles. In other words, falling in love costs you the loss of at least two very close friends.
If you want to bring someone from an outer circle into an inner circle, you need to spend at least 200 hours of reciprocal interaction with that person. For example, if you want to bring someone from the 50-person circle to the 30-person circle, you need to spend at least 200 hours interacting with them. To bring the same person from the 50-person circle to the 15-person circle, you would need to spend 400 hours. Given the limited time and energy available to humans, making mistakes in selecting these individuals can be costly. Building relationships and selecting friends in a healthy way takes time, requiring careful thought and consideration.
Mr. Dunbar conducted research on the brains of primates (gorillas and monkeys) to determine their capacity in relation to the groups they formed. The results indicate that as the brain complexity and evolution of these animals increase, their social circles expand as well. Human brains, therefore, have the capacity to manage relationships with up to 150 individuals.
Given the evolutionary process of the brain and the social nature of humans, this number is greater in humans than in other animals, and human civilization itself is built around this number.
The ratio of the size of the human neocortex to the body indicates how well humans can manage the complexity of their social interactions.
These numbers are used in determining the number of employees in companies, offices, factories, and also in the organization of classrooms, training courses, and military units such as platoons, companies, and battalions. In this context, the number 150 holds a special significance.
Additionally, the number of people at events like weddings typically ranges from 120 to 200. Roman army units in the past had 145 members, and the number of members in many tribes and villages did not exceed this number. If the number exceeded this limit, the tribe would split, and each group would move in a different direction.