b. 1947
Robin Dunbar is a British anthropologist and evolutionary psychologist best known for formulating 'Dunbar's number,' the cognitive limit on stable social relationships humans can maintain. His work bridges primatology, evolutionary psychology, and the social brain hypothesis, exploring how group size shaped human cognition, language, and religion.
Proposed Dunbar's number (~150) as the cognitive limit on stable social relationships
Developed the social brain hypothesis linking neocortex size to group size
Advanced the gossip theory of language evolution
Authored influential works including 'Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language' and 'How Many Friends Does One Person Need?'
Held professorships at Oxford and Liverpool in evolutionary psychology