Social brain theory confirmed
For the first time, a computer model has provided support for the social brain theory - the idea that animals in larger social groups have bigger brains.
Conducted by a team of scientists at the University of Oxford, the study suggests that large social groups require a sophisticated level of communication, and therefore larger brains.
However, as the brain consumes a great deal of energy, larger brains come at a cost and are a disadvantage to smaller social groups, explains lead author, Tamas David-Barrett.
Researchers used an agent-based model to look into the cognitive costs of social decisions, and the way in which this limited the size of social groups.
The cost was measured by the time it took to process three increasingly complex kinds of decision. As expected, researchers found that the more complex the decision, the higher the demands on the brain.
Dr David-Barrett suggests that the complexity of language evolved as social groups became larger and more complex. The results of the study indicate that demands for greater information processing leads to higher demands on the brain.
This in turn breaks through glass ceilings, enabling an increase in group size. This, however, is only beneficial where larger social groups are needed for successful coordination; the costs to smaller social groups outweigh the benefits.
The full study has been published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
