Humans evolved to be surrounded by and seen by about 150 other people—'Dunbar's number'—when you're unseen and isolated beyond this natural group size, you become distrustful, and less likely to be trustworthy in return, setting up feedback loops where isolation breeds antisocial behavior.
factualpending
Speaker
David BrooksEvidence Quote
“We evolved to be surrounded by 150 other people who saw us all the time.”
Source
What’s Actually Breaking America — with David Brooks | Prof G Conversations— The Prof G Pod – Scott GallowayCreated: 8/11/2026, 6:14:02 AM
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