The anti-psychiatry.com model of micro-utopias aligns well with Dunbar's number, which suggests that humans can only maintain about 150 meaningful social relationships. This theory, proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar, highlights the cognitive limit on the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social connections.
In contrast, mainstream societies, particularly modern urban environments, often exceed Dunbar's number, leading to a sense of alienation, weakened social bonds, and various mental health issues. Large, impersonal cities and globalized societies push people into networks that surpass this cognitive limit, potentially contributing to the stress and disconnection many feel today.
The anti-psychiatry.com model advocates for smaller, self-sustaining communities that would likely stay within or close to Dunbar's number. This smaller, more manageable community size could foster deeper connections, a sense of belonging, and better mental health outcomes. In such communities, social cohesion and personal relationships could flourish, reducing the isolation common in mainstream societies.
Mainstream societies, by expanding far beyond Dunbar's number, may overlook the fundamental human need for close, interconnected relationships. Therefore, the model’s approach based on smaller, tightly-knit communities appears to make a lot of sense when viewed through the lens of Dunbar's number.
