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How Many Friends Does One Person Need?

Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks
By Professor Robin Dunbar
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
How Many Friends Does One Person Need? by Professor Robin Dunbar explores the profound influence of our evolutionary past on modern human behaviour. The book reveals connections between ancient biology and everyday actions, from social bonding to emotional needs. Central to the discussion is 'Dunbar's Number,' the idea that humans can maintain a maximum of roughly 150 stable relationships. Drawing on pioneering experiments, Dunbar sheds light on topics like why infants are born relatively premature and the psychology behind matchmaking and loneliness.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in evolutionary biology, psychology, and anthropology, as well as those curious about what shapes human social behaviour and relationships.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Why do men talk, women gossip, and which is better for you? When is it good to be tall and why is monogamy a drain on the brain? And why should you suspect someone who has more than 150 friends on Facebook?

How Many Friends Does One Person Need? by Robin Dunbar is a fascinating examination of human evolution, revealing why we gossip, how many Facebook friends we should have and how our distant past influences our current behaviour.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

We are the product of our evolutionary history and this history colours our everyday lives from why we kiss to how religious we are. In How Many Friends Does One Person Need?, Robin Dunbar explains how the distant past underpins our current behaviour, through the groundbreaking experiments that have changed the thinking of evolutionary biologists forever.

He explains phenomena such as why ‘Dunbar's Number’ (150) is the maximum number of acquaintances you can have, why all babies are born premature, and the science behind lonely hearts columns. Stimulating, provocative and highly enjoyable, this fascinating book is essential for understanding why humans behave as they do — what it is to be human.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571253432

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 February 2011

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 20.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 200.0mm

Weight: 215g

Pages: 320

Collections

Education & Reference Mindset & Self Help Non-Fiction Personal Development Philosophy & Psychology Professor Robin Dunbar Science & Nature Self-Help & Personal Development

About the Author

Robin Dunbar is currently Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His principal research interest is the evolution of sociality. He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1998. His books include The Trouble with Science (1995), 'an eloquent riposte to the anti-science lobby' (Sunday Times), and Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, praised as 'brilliantly original' and 'a delight to read' (Focus). His most recent book, The Human Story, (2004), was described as 'fizzing with recent research and new theories' in the Sunday Times and 'punchy and provocative' by the New Scientist.

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