It’s a Small World After All: The Psychology of Six Degrees

The Origins of the Idea

The concept was first tested in the 1960s by psychologist Stanley Milgram. He wanted to explore how interconnected people really were.

Milgram asked participants to help send a letter to a target person who lived in another U.S. state. The catch? They only had the person’s name—no address. To solve this, they had to forward the letter to someone they personally knew who might be “closer” to the target. That person would then do the same, and so on.

Surprisingly, it took, on average, about six steps for the letter to reach its destination. And so, the idea of six degrees of separation was born.

Six Degrees of Separation: How Connected Are We Really?

Ever thought about how small the Central Coast feels sometimes? You bump into someone at the shops, and it turns out they know your neighbour, your cousin, or that friend from work. Suddenly the world feels tiny—and you realise we’re all linked in some way. You’re not alone in that thought.

This idea is captured in the famous concept of “Six Degrees of Separation”—the belief that any two people in the world are connected through six or fewer social connections. In other words, your friend’s cousin’s colleague’s neighbour might just link you to anyone on the planet!

The Fun Twist: The Oracle of Kevin Bacon

In pop culture, this idea took on a quirky life of its own with the “Kevin Bacon Number.” It’s based on the challenge of linking any Hollywood actor to Kevin Bacon through co-stars in six movies or fewer.

There’s even a fun tool online—the Bacon Number Calculator—where you can test it yourself. Pick any film actor (they must have been in movies, not just TV) and see how many degrees separate them from Kevin Bacon.

The real challenge? Try to find an actor with a Bacon Number greater than 4. It’s surprisingly hard! You can try it out here: Bacon Number Calculator

Closing Thought

So next time you’re out and about on the Central Coast, and you meet someone who knows someone you know, you might just be witnessing six degrees of separation in action.

I wonder how we’re linked… maybe it’s closer than you think!