Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships
- Downloads：5789
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-30 20:21:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Robin I.M. Dunbar
- ISBN：1408711737
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
'Fascinating。。。In essence， the number and quality of our friendships may have a bigger influence on our happiness， health and mortality risk than anything else in life save for giving up smoking' Guardian， Book of the Day
Friends matter to us， and they matter more than we think。 The single most surprising fact to emerge out of the medical literature over the last decade or so has been that the number and quality of the friendships we have has a bigger influence on our happiness， health and even mortality risk than anything else except giving up smoking。
Robin Dunbar is the world-renowned psychologist and author who famously discovered Dunbar's number: how our capacity for friendship is limited to around 150 people。 In Friends， he looks at friendship in the round， at the way different types of friendship and family relationships intersect， or at the complex of psychological and behavioural mechanisms that underpin friendships and make them possible - and just how complicated the business of making and keeping friends actually is。
Mixing insights from scientific research with first person experiences and culture， Friends explores and integrates knowledge from disciplines ranging from psychology and anthropology to neuroscience and genetics in a single magical weave that allows us to peer into the incredible complexity of the social world in which we are all so deeply embedded。
Working at the coalface of the subject at both research and personal levels， Robin Dunbar has written the definitive book on how and why we are friends。
Friends matter to us， and they matter more than we think。 The single most surprising fact to emerge out of the medical literature over the last decade or so has been that the number and quality of the friendships we have has a bigger influence on our happiness， health and even mortality risk than anything else except giving up smoking。
Robin Dunbar is the world-renowned psychologist and author who famously discovered Dunbar's number: how our capacity for friendship is limited to around 150 people。 In Friends， he looks at friendship in the round， at the way different types of friendship and family relationships intersect， or at the complex of psychological and behavioural mechanisms that underpin friendships and make them possible - and just how complicated the business of making and keeping friends actually is。
Mixing insights from scientific research with first person experiences and culture， Friends explores and integrates knowledge from disciplines ranging from psychology and anthropology to neuroscience and genetics in a single magical weave that allows us to peer into the incredible complexity of the social world in which we are all so deeply embedded。
Working at the coalface of the subject at both research and personal levels， Robin Dunbar has written the definitive book on how and why we are friends。
Reviews
Timo
，
Best book I've read in 2021。 Best book I've read in 2021。 。。。more
Mr G Ali
，
Very time consuming but no conclusionThe book is full of research and different kind of studies but no conclusion and no summery which one can put into practice。 It would have been better to write a short book with conclusion from all the data which has been put forward。
Jack Fawdon
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A very thorough read with interesting insights， covering all social relationships， not just friends。 The description of each study got a little tiring towards the end， but still learned a lot from their insights。 3。5/5
Barnaby Haszard
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A fascinating and thorough review of the literature （much of it Dunbar's own work） on friends and friendship， an alarming amount of which confirms gender stereotypes。 It is confronting to read that boys choose trucks and girls choose dolls because they really are wired that way， that it isn't an entirely social construct （even if corporations mine it to death for sales）。 More alarming still， as many of my friendships dwindle away， and the points of connection that brought us together recede into A fascinating and thorough review of the literature （much of it Dunbar's own work） on friends and friendship， an alarming amount of which confirms gender stereotypes。 It is confronting to read that boys choose trucks and girls choose dolls because they really are wired that way， that it isn't an entirely social construct （even if corporations mine it to death for sales）。 More alarming still， as many of my friendships dwindle away， and the points of connection that brought us together recede into the past， is the book's key message: the only thing that will kill you as swiftly as loneliness is smoking。 Having active friendships improves pretty much all aspects of your health， including your higher brain functions。 It isn't a scintillating read but it does clarify the need to figure out who your real friends are and call them / message them / hang out。 。。。more
Laura
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Thought-provoking and particularly timely as social life re-emerges and deciding with whom to spend my time has become an active process。
Jonathan Li
，
The first few chapters were boring and almost put me off the book。 However， persistence paid off， and there are plenty of gems in this book， well worth the read。
Rajiv Jamkhedkar
，
Its a good read in parts but too academic research oriented and boring！
Puddles
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Definitely some insightful things here。 However， I think there's also a lot of conjecture and the author seems to have some very 。。。 interesting。。。。 ideas about women - at one point he suggests that women talk less in mixed-sex large groups because the pitch of their voices makes it difficult for them to be heard。。。。。 Worth reading but definitely with a critical lens。 Definitely some insightful things here。 However， I think there's also a lot of conjecture and the author seems to have some very 。。。 interesting。。。。 ideas about women - at one point he suggests that women talk less in mixed-sex large groups because the pitch of their voices makes it difficult for them to be heard。。。。。 Worth reading but definitely with a critical lens。 。。。more
Andy Cooper
，
Really interesting bookThis book me quite a long time to read not because wasn't interesting， in fact quite the opposite。 It is full of incredibly deep drawer and insights gleaned over many years。 Highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding human behaviour especially as it relates to friendship。 Really interesting bookThis book me quite a long time to read not because wasn't interesting， in fact quite the opposite。 It is full of incredibly deep drawer and insights gleaned over many years。 Highly recommended for anyone interested in understanding human behaviour especially as it relates to friendship。 。。。more
Robert Peters-Gehrke
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A sensible， no-nonsense book on the importance of social contact。 You learn a lot about different aspects of friendship via a multitude of scientific studies （which can be sometimes a bit overwhelming）。 Written with dry humour， you are well-advised to take the rather narrow biologistic point of view with a grain of salt， adding social circumstances and biographical influences Dunbar does not spend any time on。 Be prepared to underline a lot， to be amazed and surprised and a little bit bored。
Joe Bathelt
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