# Do you know what Dunbar's Number is? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 20, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624 "2011-05-20T21:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/1 "2011-05-20T21:44:16Z")
I’m going to be giving a talk about Dunbar’s Number to an educated but fairly diverse bunch - similar to the SDMB audience - and I wanted to get a sense of how much people know about this topic. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/2 "2011-05-20T21:47:25Z")
Dunbar’s is the bar down the street, and the number is how you reach Jenny for a good time. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/3 "2011-05-20T21:59:04Z")
Pretty sure it is 8675309. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/4 "2011-05-20T22:05:45Z")
Yes, I skimmed a book on it recently. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/5 "2011-05-20T22:06:56Z")
I voted no even though I’m reasonably sure it’s a sequence of numerals, possibly accompanied by a decimal point and other mathematical signage. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/6 "2011-05-20T22:07:53Z")
I had never heard of the term before seeing this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/7 "2011-05-20T22:09:58Z")
Never heard of it, I’m afraid. But Google shows it might be an interesting topic. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/8 "2011-05-20T22:45:15Z")
I saw the term in this thread and thought it vaguely familiar. I just looked it up online and realized that a college professor of mine had discussed this topic a couple times in class when speculating on the nature of early human social groups in Africa, though I’m sure he didn’t use the term “Dunbar’s Number.” Are you giving a lecture on anthropology or something? Anyway, good luck/break a leg. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/9 "2011-05-20T23:01:17Z")
While I answered no, I do know about the monkey sphere. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/10 "2011-05-20T23:33:54Z")
I thought it was a _Catch-22_ reference. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/11 "2011-05-21T00:28:10Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I thought it was a _Catch-22_ reference. My first thought was _A Fortiori_. Which, um, isn’t a number. ETA: The Wikipedia page suggests it’s a pretty interesting concept. Has it gone up since social networking was invented? ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/12 "2011-05-21T00:43:07Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > While I answered no, I do know about the monkey sphere. Same here. I wonder how the breakdown of people who know just the number; just the monkeysphere (i.e., don’t remember the name from the essay); and know both. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/13 "2011-05-21T00:54:14Z")
:: googles :: Interesting. I’d heard of the idea before, but never the name. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/14 "2011-05-21T00:59:23Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > :: googles :: > > Interesting. I’d heard of the idea before, but never the name. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/15 "2011-05-21T01:01:59Z")
I’ve actually read a couple of books by Dunbar, but didn’t know that that was now considered “Dunbar’s number.” ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/16 "2011-05-21T01:34:34Z")
> [@L. G. Butts](#): > > While I answered no, I do know about the monkey sphere. What he said. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/17 "2011-05-21T01:49:07Z")
I’ve never heard the term. ---
**Author:** ![FoundWaldo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@FoundWaldo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoundWaldo)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/18 "2011-05-21T01:52:35Z")
After looking it up I remembered that I had heard of it before, but I voted no because if you’d just asked me out of the blue, I’d have no clue what you were talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Knig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/19 "2011-05-21T03:42:36Z")
Sorry, no idea. I wikipedia’ed it after I took the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624/20 "2011-05-21T04:16:25Z")
Like several others…I know the concept, did not know the term. I worked at a school where the number of people (adults plus kids) went from around 165 up to the mid-200s. The school had been one reasonably cohesive unit–suddenly, it was most definitely split into 2 parts. And in my church denomination, it has been conventional wisdom for years that if a small church (less than 100) grows past 150, the atmosphere becomes very different, in large part because you really can’t know everyone, and smaller interest groups begin to form. (Not that many of our churches are actually growing, you understand, but…nice to know.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-what-dunbars-number-is/582624.md?page=2)