Book description
We are the product of our evolutionary history and this history
colours 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
'Dunbar's 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 humans behave as
they do - what it is to be human.
Robin Dunbar is currently Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology
at Oxford and a Fellow of Magdalen College. His principal research
interest is the evolution of sociality. He was elected a Fellow of the
British Academy in 1998. His books include The Trouble with Science
(1995), 'an eloquent riposte to the anti-science lobby' (Sunday
Times), and Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, praised as
'brilliantly original' and 'a delight to read' (Focus). His most
recent book, The Human Story, (2004), was described as 'fizzing with
recent research and new theories' in the Sunday Times and 'punchy and
provocative' by the New Scientist.
