On Relating & Connecting: Quality AND Quantity

Meeting our relational needs through diverse relationships [We want to hear from you! Questions at the end]

When thinking of your social circles at this time, who comes to mind?
Perhaps friends & family, people from work, a neighbor or two? Your pet? 
Maybe no one comes to mind.

Robert Dunbar, anthropologist, has devoted most of his career researching close relationships between people. You may be familiar with the Dunbar number which refers to our capacity to know 150 people (on average) in our “friendships” circle.

Dunbar’s concept of various levels of interpersonal relationships

While Dunbar discovered that the smaller the group, the more meaningful and deeper the connections are, those are not the only relationships that fill our emotional and psychological cups. Having a broad social safety net also means that a range of people are able to meet our different relationship needs.

Who are the people that fill your heart and lighten your step, making your world a safer, friendlier, and more welcoming place?

Quality relationships are important, but so is breadth of community as well - having the opportunity and space to regularly connect with people of different backgrounds, age groups & personality types - people who bring a breath of fresh air into our lives. We learn surprising things when we have unplanned encounters and conversations with people, a benefit that people tend to underestimate.

The need for Village
Looking at the breadth of relationships present in our own “Village” can provide perspective on whether our diverse social needs are being met. What does it mean to be part of a thriving Village - to have a social cushion around us with many connections that meet our different needs as humans?

The Village project aspires to create groups of people that connect locally and in “real time”. Villages provide space for spontaneous connection to happen within an established gathering format - participants benefit from the best of both worlds - familiarity plus the emergent experiences that arise only when we are together.

A Village fosters the many fertile connections we each require to reweave the fabric of local community in everyday life.

Village gatherings encourage people to connect in the spirit of curiosity and presence with each other, whoever we are and however we show up.

Exploring this terrain of community together allows each of us to define what the archetypal Village looks like for us in the present day.

So, who’s in your Village?

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Quick Facts:

• Villages hold regular gatherings using a simple program that fosters meaningful conversations.

• We are non-partisan, non-dogmatic, and non-profit.

• Our purpose is to connect people locally.

• We offer free tools and support for local groups to organize their own Villages.

Your Voice:

We want to hear from you!

Is it important to you to connect with new people and why?
In the image above, which circle would you like to add to?

Resources:

• Abrams, Zara. “The science of why friendships keep us healthy” in Monitor on Psychology, Vol. 54 No. 4. Date created: June 1, 2023.

• Dunbar, R. (2021). Friends. Little, Brown Book Group