John Guare, creator of the play Six Degrees of Separation, was more right than people gave him credit for when he presented the Kevin Bacon concept. His understanding of how closely people’s lives are intertwined was truly insightful. One of the characters in his play says:
“I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation….It’s a profound thought….How every person is a new door, opening up into other worlds.”
Take a moment to consider that statement. Every person you talk to is no more than six people away from knowing the person you are talking about! If you don’t live in a large city, that separation may actually be closer to three or four. This theory of six degrees was tested in 2007 by Eric Horvitz of Microsoft Research and Jure Leskovec of Carnegie Mellon University. Cutting to the chase of their results… people are indeed separated by an average path length of 6.8. So, the next time you begin to say something you wouldn’t want repeated, think about who might end up hearing it.
On the other hand, this concept can also work to your advantage. If you want to connect with a specific person, start reaching out. Six degrees isn’t that much and taking on the challenge might be fun!
Related Link:
Proof of Six Degrees of Separation
