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Mental abstraction aids group cohesion in large social networks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2025

Yi-Fei Hu Open the ORCID record for Yi-Fei Hu [Opens in a new window] ,
Alice Xia Open the ORCID record for Alice Xia [Opens in a new window]  and
Oriel FeldmanHall Open the ORCID record for Oriel FeldmanHall [Opens in a new window]
Yi-Fei Hu
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA yifei_hu1@brown.edu
Alice Xia
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA yifei_hu1@brown.edu
Oriel FeldmanHall*
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA yifei_hu1@brown.edu Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA alice_xia@brown.edu oriel.feldmanhall@brown.edu
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Human social networks are far larger than those of nonhuman primates. Maintaining cohesion in large networks requires a robust mechanism that can accommodate the dense webs of connections within communities. A parsimonious account of how humans achieve social cohesion is mental abstraction, which enables individuals to construct fuzzy network representations that facilitate information flow tracking and mitigate conflict.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e170
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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