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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Observing Virtual Social Interactions

Published on: July 6, 2011

The social brain hypothesis and its implications for social evolution.

¹Institute of Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. robin.dunbar@anthro.ox.ac.uk

Annals of Human Biology

|July 4, 2009

Summary

The social brain hypothesis explains primate brain size, differing from other mammals and birds. Primates link brain size to social group size, unlike others who link it to mating systems.

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Area of Science:

Comparative neuroanatomy
Evolutionary biology
Primatology

Background:

The social brain hypothesis posits that large brains in primates evolved to manage complex social systems.
This hypothesis has been extended to other vertebrates, but its form varies across taxa.

Discussion:

In anthropoid primates, brain size quantitatively correlates with social group size, suggesting cognitive constraints on group cohesion.
In other mammals and birds, a qualitative relationship exists: large brains are linked to pair-bonded mating systems.

Key Insights:

Anthropoid primates may generalize pair-bonding mechanisms to friendships, creating a quantitative link between brain size and social group size.
This generalization highlights the cognitive demands of social bonding and friendship in primates.

Outlook:

Further research is needed to understand the cognitive underpinnings of bonded relationships in primates.
Investigating the evolutionary timing and drivers of this shift in primate sociality is crucial.