Friends and strangers: How many is enough and why bother with any of them?
I quite like people — not all people, not humanity as a whole, but, as a friendly outgoing person, I like connecting with others. Not everyone does, I get this. But, in my view, being able to respond to new people is a life skill. Whether the connection leads to a lasting relationship or is just a fleeting moment at the bus stop or with one's waiter, the bridge between aloneness and companionship has been crossed, if only for a minute. While I like my own company just fine, the energy that can arise from interacting with others is pretty fine, too. Though there are limits to the connections we humans can maintain. According to Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist, human beings can have a maximum of 150 “meaningful social relationships” including family and friends. Note that “meaningful” doesn’t mean “close”; it means a connection exists in some way between the two of you that has meaning of some kind for you. However, within those many connections, people’s intimate friends...