Some of you may be familiar with Dunbar’s Number and the ideas it represents. Though there is hardly consensus that British anthropologist Robin Dunbar has the thing right, there is an intuitive sense that his broad strokes paint a picture of a reality we recognize. Dunbar’s number (150) suggests there are certain human capacities that limit the number of people in a series of relational circles, 150 being the most “meaningful” contacts any one of us might have. According to Dunbar, “the tightest (relational) circle has just five people – loved ones. That’s followed by successive layers of 15 (good friends), 50 (friends), 150 (meaningful contacts), 500 (acquaintances) and 1500 (people you can recognise). People migrate in and out of these layers, but the idea is that space has to be carved out for any new entrants.”
I have been thinking about Dunbar’s number on my slow morning runs through our neighborhood. The run itself has been especially delightful in recent days as the weather has cooled and the sun arrives just a bit later each morning, sometimes coloring the clouds in yellow, orange, and pink. Continue reading