The Science of Making and Keeping Friends | Robin Dunbar

The Science of Making and Keeping Friends | Robin Dunbar

New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.

---

Friendship might not necessarily be something you've considered to be an urgent psychological and physiological issue. One thing we explore a lot on the show is that the quality of your relationships determines the quality of your life, and sadly, in many ways, it's harder than ever to make and keep friends. With loneliness and disconnection on the rise, our society just wasn't constructed for social connection, and recent data suggests we're in a friendship crisis, with many of us reporting that we have fewer close friendships than ever.


Our guest today is Robin Dunbar, an Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Oxford University and the author of numerous books on the development of homo sapiens. Dunbar is perhaps best known for formulating "Dunbar's number," which is a measurement of the number of relationships our brain is capable of maintaining at any one time. He is a world-renowned expert on human relationships, and has a ton of fascinating research findings and practical tips for upping your friendship game.


In this conversation, we dive into the science behind human relationships, the upsides and downsides of maintaining friendships on social media, the viability of friendships across gender lines, and what science says you can do to compensate if you feel you are currently lacking in close friendships.



Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/robin-dunbar-372-rerun

Avsnitt(1032)

Next Time You're Suffering, Ask Yourself This Question | Caverly Morgan

Next Time You're Suffering, Ask Yourself This Question | Caverly Morgan

The highest form of self compassion (is seeing there's no self in the first place).   Caverly Morgan is a meditation teacher who blends the original spirit of Zen with a modern nondual approach, drawi...

20 Aug 20251h 3min

The Science of Self-Hypnosis | Dr. David Spiegel

The Science of Self-Hypnosis | Dr. David Spiegel

How it can help with stress, anxiety, and panic. Dr. David Spiegel is Willson Professor and Associate Chair of Psychiatry at Stanford School of Medicine. Standing on a lifetime of research and clinica...

18 Aug 20251h 8min

How to Handle Discomfort, Uncertainty, and Overwhelm | Meditation with Kaira Jewel Lingo

How to Handle Discomfort, Uncertainty, and Overwhelm | Meditation with Kaira Jewel Lingo

All this month, we're sharing custom guided meditations from our teacher of the month, Kaira Jewel Lingo, exclusively available at DanHarris.com. Like any good drug dealer, the first taste is free – s...

17 Aug 202514min

How To Repair the Damage After An Argument | Dr. Becky Kennedy

How To Repair the Damage After An Argument | Dr. Becky Kennedy

It's good to apologize when you've hurt someone's feelings, but there's more to "making up" than simply an apology. We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our sta...

15 Aug 202532min

Think You Suck at Meditation? This Conversation Could Help. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey

Think You Suck at Meditation? This Conversation Could Help. | Ofosu Jones-Quartey

How to (constructively) lower the bar on your meditation practice.   Ofosu Jones-Quartey is a meditation teacher, hip-hop artist, and author based in the DC area. He's a certified teacher with over 20...

13 Aug 20251h 8min

Let's Normalize Failure (The Right Kind) | Manu Kapur

Let's Normalize Failure (The Right Kind) | Manu Kapur

An expert in failure shows us how to find success in the most counterintuitive way.   Manu Kapur is currently the Director of the Singapore-ETH Center, and Professor for Learning Sciences and Higher E...

11 Aug 20251h 1min

Pods We Love: Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Pods We Love: Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Sharing an episode today from our friend Gretchen Rubin's podcast, Happier. Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth Craft discuss the idea of the "familect" and why it might be fun to create a  dictionary f...

10 Aug 202532min

A Surprisingly Effective Way to Deal With Your Inner Critic

A Surprisingly Effective Way to Deal With Your Inner Critic

We're bringing you some of our favorite gems from the archives, as chosen by our staff. This week, we're hearing from therapist Dick Schwartz, as chosen by Mani Chandy from our Substack team. Schwartz...

8 Aug 202528min

Populärt inom Hälsa

somna-med-henrik
rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
rss-jossan-nina
inga-beiga-morsor
angestpodden
rss-vuxna-pa-latsas
not-fanny-anymore
sexnoveller-deluxe
rss-viktmedicinpodden
johannes-hansen-podcast
sova-med-dan-horning
rss-the-house-podcast-3
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
sa-in-i-sjalen
sag-det-bara
brottarbroder
rss-angra-inget-3
sex-pa-riktigt-med-marika-smith
tyngre-radio
rss-fet-fakta-podcast