How Many Friends Does One Person Need?: Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks

How Many Friends Does One Person Need?: Dunbar's Number and Other Evolutionary Quirks by Robin I. M. Dunbar. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780571253425.

Why do men talk and 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 be suspicious of someone who has more than 150 friends on Facebook? We are the product of our evolutionary history, and this history colors 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 "Dunbars 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 people behave as they do and what it is to be human.