by Jennifer Malise
On September 30, 2009, a study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society indicated that there is a link between the size of the brain and socialization. It is interesting to see that our ability to socialize has to do with the size of our brain and its complexity. Researchers from the University of Oxford and Roehampton University explored this theory among a group of monkeys; the result being that the size of the brain correlates to the size and number of grooming clusters that monkeys belong to. The part of the brain in question is the neocortex, which is responsible for higher-level thinking. The difference is that bigger brained monkeys spend more time grooming a smaller, more intimate group of monkeys within a larger group of monkeys. Monkeys with smaller neocortices, however, tend to live in smaller groups with a less complicated social structure.
The bigger the neocortices, the bigger the community of monkeys whereas monkeys with smaller neocortices belong to smaller groups. Species with larger neocortices can live in larger communities because they can create intimate friendships with a few members of the group and have less close acquaintances. However, species with smaller neocortices cannot manage intimate friendships and therefore tend to separate easily. The social ability has to do directly with the size of the neocortex since it is connected with cognitive functions like learning, memory, and more complex thought. In comparison to monkeys, humans are able of managing far more complex social structures. Since our neocortex is three times larger than that of monkeys, we can manage even larger, more complex social groups than the monkeys with large neocortices.
