Original: The Dunbar number, as I understand, is a suggested limit to the number of personal social relationships a person can keep at a time. This number grows and decreases by a rule of 3. Your casual friend group might be about 150 people. Your close friends probably make up around 50, and then your most intimate support system might be around 5. Konnikova proves that this is not a recent social behavior. In fact this “rule of three” can be traced back to hunter-gatherer societies and even the Roman Empire.

Revised: The Dunbar number suggests that there exists a “cognitive limit” to the number of personal social relationships a person can keep at a given time. This number grows and decreases by a rule of 3. Your casual friend group, such as neighbors or friend’s of your parents, is likely around 150 people. Your close friends and family probably make up around 50, and then your most intimate support system is likely to be around 5. Konnikova proves that this is not a recent social behavior. In fact this “rule of three” can be traced back to hunter-gatherer societies and even the Roman Empire. As more relationships become founded through social media, people have begun to challenge the accuracy of the Dunbar number in today’s society.

Improvements that I made regarding my revision was mostly focused on making the framework of the Dunbar number more clear to my reader. After reading my original paragraph to my roommate she immediately had questions about what type of people fit into which category of the number, and if the number is still relevant today. After adding more specificity to this description, I think the Dunbar number is explained in a better sense in my revised paragraph. I explain the types of people that might be within your “casual friends” and whether or not the Dunbar number is held to the same relevancy in today’s world, which it is not.