What makes social abilities sophisticated? Not recursive mentalising

Ian A. Apperly

doi:10.1017/S0140525X25100526

What makes social abilities sophisticated? Not recursive mentalising

Ian A. Apperly^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

Abstract

To explain human social sophistication, and proximal phylogenetic steps leading to it, Dunbar claims that mentalising expands to increasingly high levels of recursion. However, the evidential basis for this claim is weak, exposing both a limitation in Dunbar’s account and in the field’s current understanding of social sophistication.

Original language	English
Article number	e164
Journal	Behavioral and Brain Sciences
Volume	48
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X25100526
Publication status	Published - 27 Nov 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press.

Type of article: Open Peer Commentary

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Physiology
Behavioral Neuroscience

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10.1017/S0140525X25100526Licence: None: All rights reserved

Cite this

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title = "What makes social abilities sophisticated? Not recursive mentalising",

abstract = "To explain human social sophistication, and proximal phylogenetic steps leading to it, Dunbar claims that mentalising expands to increasingly high levels of recursion. However, the evidential basis for this claim is weak, exposing both a limitation in Dunbar{\textquoteright}s account and in the field{\textquoteright}s current understanding of social sophistication.",

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AB - To explain human social sophistication, and proximal phylogenetic steps leading to it, Dunbar claims that mentalising expands to increasingly high levels of recursion. However, the evidential basis for this claim is weak, exposing both a limitation in Dunbar’s account and in the field’s current understanding of social sophistication.

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DO - 10.1017/S0140525X25100526

M3 - Comment/debate

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VL - 48

JO - Behavioral and Brain Sciences

JF - Behavioral and Brain Sciences

M1 - e164

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What makes social abilities sophisticated? Not recursive mentalising

Abstract

Bibliographical note

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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