The Well-Bred Mind

Core Concept: In the age of thousands of social media followers, this episode explores the cognitive limit to human relationships. Anthropologist and psychologist Robin Dunbar found that the size of our neocortex limits us to maintaining about 150 stable social relationships. Going beyond this number stretches our emotional and cognitive resources too thin.Original Citation: Dunbar, R. I. M. (1992). Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates. Journal of Human Evolution, 22(6), 469–493.Acharjee, S., & Oza, A. (2024). Stability in social networks. Royal Society Open Science, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231500 Cited by: 1Acharjee, S., & Panicker, A. T. (2023). Trust levels in social networks. Heliyon, 9(10), e19850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19850 Cited by: 9Lindenfors, P., Wartel, A., & Lind, J. (2021). ‘Dunbar's number’ deconstructed. Biology Letters, 17(5). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2021.0158 Cited by: 112Von Der Heide, R., Vyas, G., & Olson, I. R. (2014). The social network-network: size is predicted by brain structure and function in the amygdala and paralimbic regions. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(12), 1962-1972. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsu009 Cited by: 166West, B. J., Massari, G. F., Culbreth, G., Failla, R., Bologna, M., Dunbar, R. I. M., & Grigolini, P. (2020). Relating size and functionality in human social networks through complexity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(31), 18355-18358. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2006875117 Cited by: 88

We are largely taught that stress is universally toxic and should be avoided at all costs. However, research reveals that if you view stress as an enhancing force (eustress) rather than a debilitating one (distress), your body produces a vastly different and healthier physiological response.ReferencesCrum, A. J., Akinola, M., Martin, A., & Fath, S. (2017). The role of stress mindset in shaping cognitive, emotional, and physiological responses to challenging and threatening stress. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 30, 379–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2016.1275585 Cited by: 659Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104, 716–733. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031201 Cited by: 1690Crum, A., & Lyddy, C. (2014). De-Stressing Stress: The Power of Mindsets and the Art of Stressing Mindfully. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness, 948–963. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118294895.ch49 Cited by: 83

We know exercise is good for the heart, but it's equally crucial for the brain. This episode dives into neurogenesis—the creation of new brain cells. Research demonstrates that regular aerobic exercise physically increases the size of the hippocampus, directly improving memory and protecting against cognitive decline.Original Citation: Erickson, K. I., et al. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017–3022.Link: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1015950108