Data from various settings suggest that there is an upper limit of about four on the number of individuals who can interact in spontaneous conversation.
Abstract
Data from various settings suggest that there is an upper limit of about four on the number of individuals who can interact in spontaneous conversation.
This limit appears to be a consequence of the mechanisms of speech production and detection.
There appear to be no differences between men and women in this respect, other than those introduced by women’s lighter voices.
Authors
Robin Dunbar
, N. D. C. Duncan, and D. Nettle
Paper
Posts that link to this paper
- What Is the Optimum Group Size for a Conversation? More than five people and it is not a conversation
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