During a post plastering soak in the bath, while listening to Radio 4, I learned of Dunbar’s theory. The theory from Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist, maintains that an individual can manage up to 150 friends. 

Friends are defined as “the number of people you would not feel embarrassed about joining uninvited for a drink if you happened to bump into them in a bar”. 

Dunbar’s research goes back to the population sizes of villages in England and Wales, as recorded in the Domesday Book. This transfers to the modern world of social media too. Apparently, the average number of active friends a person has on Facebook is 150. However, many have less. 

Naturally, it’s not quite that simple. There are different circles of friends which vary in closeness.

I could say more, but you can have a look on the Internet if you’re interested. Or, if you can find the programme repeated on the radio, it makes good bath listening.