The Dunbar Number, a term coined by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, represents a cognitive limit to the number of stable social relationships one can maintain. As conveyed through the lens of complex systems thinker Daniel Schmachtenberger, this concept elucidates the constraints imposed by neurological and cognitive capacities in human beings. It suggests roughly 150 as the upper echelon of meaningful connections where trust, reciprocity, and personal knowledge can be sustained. Beyond this threshold, layers of “friendship” degrade into lesser degrees of intimacy and accountability. The Dunbar Number underscores the evolutionary framework of human social architectures, revealing fundamental boundaries within which social coherence and functional community thrive, illuminating the intrinsic limitations faced when scaling organizational or societal entities beyond this intimate scope.

See also: collective intelligence, collective action, human nature