R&R:Rule of 150 and Case Studies from the Tipping Point

Hey, so I'm still readin' away on Gladwell's novel The Tipping Point. Most lately though, I have read about the Rule of 150 and the Case Studies. Now I'll explain first what the Rule of 150 is.

The Rule of 150 first is explained by how humans are seperated from all other mammals by having the largest brain and are the only mammals to have a specific of the brain known as the neocortex. This deals with the ability to have the power to have complex thoughts and reasoning. Dunbar (creater of this Rule of 150) prediction to why we recieved the neocortex is that of course as the brain evolved to having the neocortex. And it got bigger because of the increase in large complex groups. Dunbar explained that if you belong to a group of 5 you end up keeping track of 10 different relationships inside of the entire group. But if you have19 people involving yourself there are 171 relationships. This is a sense of what it means to know people inside your circle. Humans socialize in the largest group of all primates and according to studies the Rule of 150 comes into effect because there is an approximate maximum of 150 individuals in which you can have a social relationship with. People say though, that when the 150th relationship occurs, something special within the group happens.

Now later in the book they talk about the Case Studies. These studies talk about the epidemic of rumors, sneakers and the power of translation. Then it talks about the Airwalk and when it's tipping point occured. How the airwalk tip came was by what sociologists call the diffusion model which is "a detailed, academic way of looking at how a contagious idea or innovation moves through a population." One of the most sophisticated analysis of this comes from studies of the rumor which are known as the most contagious of all messages. Psychologists said they have found that the process of distortion which is explained in the book is "univeral in the spread of rumors."

Give you updates on the end of the book later.

--KP