Dunbar's Number

A theoretical cognitive limit to how many stable relationships humans can maintain - approximately 150.

Link copied

back to Personal Index


Key Insights & Principles

Relationships & Leadership

Insights:
  1. There is a cognitive limit to our social capacity.
  2. For maximum efficiency, organisations should not consist of groups of people that are larger that approximately 150.
  3. Beyond our cognitive capacity, we start to treat people more like objects than people.

Principles:
  1. When making decisions that impact people outside our social circles, we should imagine how the decisions would impact people closest to us or how they might respond.
  2. Utilise communication tools like email to maintain regular contact with all employees.


Book References