# Familiarity Can Narrow the Boundary of the Other by Bryant McGill > “Chimpanzee groups patrol their borders and treat outsiders as enemies, yet primatologists also see friendships form across lines when animals spend time together. Humans inherited both tendencies, and fear widens the gap while familiarity narrows it. Spending time with people beyond one's own group is one of the surest ways to dissolve the idea of "the other."” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream (Sep 2016)* ## Sources and Context - **Source:** [[livestreams/Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream|Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream]] — exact quotation from the developed livestream document. - **Conceptual context:** Coalition history, familiarity, competition, threat, and repeated contact change how social actors classify and respond to others. Boundaries can harden under fear and become more permeable through sustained interaction. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream|Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Outgroup Dynamics|Outgroup Dynamics]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Chimpanzee groups patrol their borders and treat outsiders as enemies, yet primatologists also see friendships form across lines when animals spend time together. Humans inherited both tendencies, and fear widens the gap while familiarity narrows it. Spending time with people beyond one's own group is one of the surest ways to dissolve the idea of "the other."” — Bryant McGill, Dignity, Hidden Greatness, and Putting People Before Ideas - Livestream (Sep 2016) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-familiarity-narrows-other-boundary ```