How Many People Can You Actually Know?

Is it possible that there’s a hard-wired limit to how many people you can know?

CREDITS:

[BrainStuffShow]

Is it possible that there's a hard-wired limit to how many people with whom you can have stable, social relationships? And if so, what is that number?

[sunnydavies]

i say its less than 100 and people who will be there for you? less than 5

[grungemunkey]

having lived all over Canada, I can tell you, I've had people  that were absolute great friends, than once we part, and I moved thousand of miles away, I lost the feeling of being great friends with them. The internet mainly facebook has helped me re-establish a connection with them. 

[Charles-igfr]

This sounds an awful lot like what people talk about when they wax nostalgic for those "old time small towns where everybody knew one another." If Dunbar is right about hardwired limits, there may be some validity to the idea that putting people in too large a social environment overloads and burns out their potential to interact with and care about others, making the "cold impersonal big city" phenomenon not just a thing older people go on about, but a (possibly) measurable phenomenon.

We often think of futurism as meaning technology, but organizing healthier (i.e. less stressful) communities around verifiable psychological knowledge is equally important. If this idea is backed up by enough confirming studies, perhaps future city planning ought to consider building insular neighborhoods around appropriately sized communities instead of just cramming as many people as you can into the smallest area possible to maximize rent or property tax revenues per square foot.

[MylesJP]

Even that sounds like too much. I was thinking more like 10-20.

[Episcleritis]

Big shout out to David Wong's article "What is the Monkeysphere?" which covered this same thing.  Very very interesting stuff.  Thanks for the cool post, Brainstuff.

[awsomemodels]

Yea that sounds about right i would guess that the number of people that i know pretty well is definitely between 100-150 but if we include the people that i vaguely know the number would probably be ridiculous .

[mageover]

I can only recall two Kevins. And old high-school buddy and My moms old co-worker. Both them I would say I know or at least knew pretty well.

[Neceros]

This is a big reasoning why people tend not to help strangers (people outside of their groups), even if they seem like they may need help, UNLESS that hapless fella is within what you consider your territory.

[tgFjikko]

I on the other hand have approximately 4 friends.

[febbra]

I don't even know myself from time to time...

[BFArchn]

Our lives are time limited, so no, you can't really have more than that, there isn't enough time to keep up with everyone.

[UnrealChainzx]

I don't know I think the internet may raise that number slightly however I see a form of chaos theory tied into this as well.it comes down to how you describe a "Stable" relationship. The less people in your group  more of a chance for stability.But add more people into the group and your bound to have conflicts somewhere. So again to me it comes down to that word "Stable".

[ChitranjanBaghiofficial]

At 1:58 is sad because the video editor didn't add the drum roll. You should talk with HR department, may be the staff is discriminating.

[hemaad]

100 to 200 it is a larg no. Along with anthropological calculations consider the other limits too, Like buzy life style etc.

[Cashman]

It's tough to answer. The limits can be pushed but not so much. Still people remember only those who are close to them more than just an acquaintance

[prajwalchauhan]

And I am wondering why no one is talking about this topic... Only few videos over YouTube. 🤔

[UHFStation]

100 to 200? That's a lot higher than I was thinking. My FB only has 150 people and I don't know 1/3 of them.

[ceno]

This is interesting. Juggling that many people to know is tough though.

[NiviaGarcia]

well my actual circle includes 60 kids & 20 teens ( which I Personally Know - I'm their teacher, so I got to know what do they like and who are they parents) - My Family it´s a small one about (30 people) from line to line - My actual friends (or those who I go out on fridays, ) university and those I keep talking from school, those are about like 40 people (Including some co workers) - those are 150 persons I actually Knew and got contact over these year (2014) -  Just Fine for the video

But If I add the people I knew since I get into preschool and other circles.. I think the amount overpast the 200´s - Thats a lot of people nevertheless.. those others I hardly talk to them or got any contact since I meet them.. A nice question to answer Is:  in average how many people you can meet all over your life ( That depends in the amount of  social circles a person can build) them is´s just multiplying, and by meet I meant spending a rational amount of time or encounters (Not the girl who sold you a beer last night) -