They explain that from an evolutionary perspective, it was important to have small groups of close-knit social connections when humans were on hunting expeditions and other dangerous stations.
他们从进化的角度解释道,处在狩猎探险或其他危险情况下,拥有紧密社会联系的小团体对人类而言是至关重要的.
This would mean that we did not have to be as close with the rest of the wider group - as long as we had a strong bond with around 5 others.
这意味着只要我们和5个朋友关系亲密,就无需与更多的人保持紧密联系.
Even now, as we add or follow others on social media, most new connections are made through meeting friends of others.
即使现在我们会在社交媒体上添加或关注其他人,但大部分人还是通过与其他人的朋友见面形成新的联系.
Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the researchers said: conclude that humans were probably egalitarian in hunter–gatherer-like societies, maintaining an average maximum of four or five social links connecting all members in a largest social network of around 132 people.'
研究者在《英国皇家学会界面杂志》上写到：我们得到的结论是处在狩猎采集者之类的社会团体中,人类可能会主张平等主义,他们会保持人均4到5个的社会联系人,把这些联系人整合起来,我们最多能将社交网络关系扩展至132人左右.
As we form new connections and relationships, they become increasingly distant from our 'core' starting group
当我们构建新型连接与关系时,这些人离我们最初的核心团体越来越远.
The researchers added that the 'social brain hypothesis' describes 'neurologically constrained capacity for maintaining long-term stable relationships'.
研究者补充道,"社会化大脑假说"描述的是维持长期稳定关系的神经控制能力.
The 'hunter-gatherer' example shows how social hierarchies can form - you only need to directly know a few people in a large group in order to become a leader figure.
"狩猎者采集者"的例子证明了社会阶层是如何形成的,要成为领导者,你只需直接了解大团体中的几个人便可.
The researchers say that while social media is changing the number of people we can be connected to - in 2014, the mean average number of Facebook friends was 338 - it is unlikely to change the number of friends we actually have.
2014年,脸书用户的平均朋友数是338人.研究者表示,虽然社交媒体正在改变我们联系人的数量,但这不太可能会对我们实际拥有的朋友数造成影响.
来源：英国每日邮报
