How much conversation content is actually social: Human conversational behaviour revisited

Szala A., Wacewicz S., Placiński M., Poniewierska AE., Schmeichel A., Stefanczyk MM., Żywiczyński P., Dunbar RIM.

Our study explores aspects of human conversation within the framework of evolutionary psychology, focusing on the proportion of 'social' to 'non-social' content in casual conversation. Building upon the seminal study by Dunbar et al. (1997, Human Nature, 8, 231-246), which posited that two-thirds of conversation gravitates around social matters, our findings indicate an even larger portion, approximately 85% being of a social nature. Additionally, we provide a nuanced categorisation of 'social' rooted in the principles of evolutionary psychology. Similarly to Dunbar et al.'s findings, our results support theories of human evolution that highlight the importance of social interactions and information exchange and the importance of the exchange of social information in human interactions across various contexts.

DOI

10.1017/langcog.2024.54

Type

Journal article

Publication Date

2025-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Volume

17

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