[OT]Group dynamics - 7 people

[ethios4]

I remember reading somewhere many years ago that a group of people usually cannot grow to more than 7 (maybe the number was six?) without splitting into two groups. I have found this to be true on many many occasions at social gatherings. Just the other night I was at a party outside sitting around talking in a group of six, everyone unified and having a good time. Two more people join the group, bringing us to eight, and conflict ensued almost immediately, splitting the group pretty much in half. When two other people left, bringing us back to six, there was peace again. Many times I've been standing in a group of six or seven and another person will walk up and there is a strange tension until someone leaves. I've also read that most people cannot have more than about six simultaneous ideas in their mind at once. Maybe it's related?

[vicz]

This is true unless they are all female, in which case the number is three...

[ark]

This might help explain the phenomenon.

[scott nathaniel]

I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society: Henry David Thoreau

[Angstrom]

recently I found out about the dunbar number, the general concept of which I was familiar with from popular anthropology (such as Desmond Morris)
But I didn't know it had a name

Dunbar's number is a theoretical cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships. These are relationships in which an individual knows who each person is, and how each person relates to every other person.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

IE maximum tribe size

[ethios4]

Interesting links. Somewhere I have the book where I read about the small group dynamics thing...I'll find it when I unpack them again. It was closely related to the 7+/-2 theory.

[debu]

Also part of the reason phone numbers are seven digits - the brain "usually" can't focus on, or remember, more than 7 bits of information at a time.

[the_antagonist]

my wife and I were victim of this. we were in a big group. we were at the cusp of everything. but we added one person to the group.

just a small person.

the group couldn't take it and my wife, daughter and I were surgically removed.