People who keep their circle small aren't antisocial. They genuinely learned that intimacy and popularity are opposing forces, even though loneliness occasionally shows up as the cost of admission - Silicon Canals

"The basic finding is that human social networks arrange themselves in concentric layers of decreasing intimacy and increasing size. The innermost layer contains roughly five people: the ones you would turn to first in a genuine crisis, who have access to the full version of you, and for whom you feel the strongest obligation and emotional investment."

"Research on the layered structure of social networks shows that time spent interacting with individual members, and willingness to act altruistically toward them, decreases across successive layers outward, with the innermost relationships receiving a disproportionate share of the available social attention."

Cultural norms often equate relational health with having a large social circle, but intimacy and popularity are distinct pursuits. Research by Robin Dunbar reveals that human social networks are structured in concentric layers, with the innermost layer consisting of about five people who receive the most emotional investment. This layered structure indicates that maintaining close relationships requires significant time and effort, which limits the capacity for broader social connections. Thus, a small circle can signify a healthy prioritization of intimacy over mere popularity.

Read at Silicon Canals