Brain size linked to social network

A study has found that the brain structure called the amygdala, involved with emotions, may predict a person's number and richness of relationships.

The size of your amygdala, an almond-shaped portion of the brain involved in emotions, may be as strong a marker for having rich and varied social relationships as how many "friends" you have on Facebook, researchers say.

Scientists report in the 26 December online edition of Nature Neuroscience that people with larger and more complex social networks also have larger amygdalas.

The findings
The findings correspond to previous research that found that primates also have a larger amygdala, relative to the overall size of their brain and body. Like humans, primates live in fairly complex social groups, suggesting that a larger amygdala has evolved to help navigate these landscapes.