Short Stuff: Dunbar's Number
There’s a theory that all of us have a maximum number of friendships that we can maintain – 150, to be exact. Suspiciously exact, really, if you think about it.
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Explore "social networks" with insightful episodes like "Short Stuff: Dunbar's Number", "A Secret Source of Connection", "Who's In Your Inner Circle?", "Men and boys are struggling. Should we care?" and "Kevin Scott: Microsoft CTO" from podcasts like ""Stuff You Should Know", "Hidden Brain", "Hidden Brain", "The Gray Area with Sean Illing" and "Lex Fridman Podcast"" and more!
There’s a theory that all of us have a maximum number of friendships that we can maintain – 150, to be exact. Suspiciously exact, really, if you think about it.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We all have moments in our lives when we see someone who could use a helping hand. It could be a friend who recently went through a breakup, an elderly person trying to load groceries into their car, or a stranger on the street who looks a little lost. We tell ourselves we should help, but then something stops us. This week, psychologist Amit Kumar helps us understand what keeps us from taking a moment to be kind, and how to overcome these barriers to create stronger, happier connections.
Have you ever had a moment when you blank out on your best friend's name, or forget the passcode to your phone? If you want to understand why, and how to improve your memory, be sure to check out last week's episode, Remember More, Forget Less. And for more Hidden Brain, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter! You can sign up at news.hiddenbrain.org.
If you think about the people in your life, it's likely that they share a lot in common with you. Maybe they like the same kinds of food, or enjoy the same hobbies. But, if you dig a little deeper, you may find that they share much more: they might make the same amount of money as you, or share the same race. This week, we talk with economists Luigi Pistaferri and Matthew Jackson about why we often surround ourselves with people who are just like us — and how we can transform our lives by pushing back against this phenomenon.
Did you catch last week's episode on the science of figuring out what you want? You can find it here. And if you'd like to make a financial contribution to support our work, you can do so here. Thanks!
All social classes have unspoken rules. From A-list celebrities to teachers, doctors, lawyers, and journalists — there are social norms that govern us, whether we realize it or not. This week on Hidden Brain, we look celebrity culture, as well as another elite group: the yoga-loving, Whole Foods-shopping, highly-educated people whom one researcher calls the new "aspirational class." This episode is from December 2017.
Earthworms come in a wide range of sizes: The average U.S. earthworm is 6 to 11 inches long, and the giant worms of Australia and South America can grow to a length of 11 feet. Join Josh and Chuck as they burrow into the weird world of earthworms.
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