Physics – Physics and Society
Scientific paper
2012-04-25
Physics
Physics and Society
Scientific paper
The social brain hypothesis has suggested that social network size (and structure) is constrained by a combination of cognitive processes and the time required to service social relationships. We test this hypothesis in humans using a unique 18-month mobile phone dataset by examining changes in the structure of social networks across a major change in subjects' social and geographical circumstances. Our analysis reveals that the time allocation patterns of call frequency by participants to network members have a distinctive overall shape, where a small number of top-ranked network members received a disproportionately large fraction of calls, with some individual variation. However, importantly, whilst there was a large turnover of individual network members, these changes have little effect on the time allocation patterns of each individual: individuals thus displayed a distinctive "social signature" that was both persistent over time and independent of the identities of the network members. This provides the first direct evidence that social networks are constrained by a combination of cognitive constraints and the time individuals have available for social interaction, confirming one of the key assumptions of the social brain hypothesis.
Dunbar Robin I. M.
Leicht Elizabeth A.
Lopez Eduardo
Reed-Tsochas Felix
Roberts S. G. B.
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