Social Overshoot? Dunbar’s Number, Real Relationships, and Musical Chairs | Frankly 94

(Recorded May 6, 2025)

With more people on the planet than ever before – with most having constant digital access to one another – there is an abundance of potential relationships available to us. Despite this, there is also an increasing loneliness crisis across global society. What can evolutionary psychology teach us about this lack of meaningful relationships at a time of hyper-connectivity?

In this week’s Frankly, Nate reflects on the effects of technology on modern relationships, and how Dunbar’s number infers a ceiling on the number of people we can meaningfully interact with. He emphasizes the rare value of full attention in close relationships, and the implications of our current social dynamics as we face more turbulent times and a smaller world ahead.

What are the negative effects of overextending our social networks and how does that shape the way we build community? How can we foster and strengthen connections with the people who are most important to us? Finally, what will our networks look like when the economic music speeds up or stops, and those who are closest to us become our most important support systems?

Show Notes and More:

Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie:

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future:

Join our Substack newsletter:

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners:

---