Something Strange Happens When You Trace How Connected We Are

This Veritasium video unpacks the math behind “six degrees of separation,” from Duncan Watts’s small-world model and the power of weak ties to how diseases spread through networks, why some papers go viral, and the inevitability of hubs and long-tail distributions uncovered by Barabási. It even touches on classic dilemmas like the Prisoner’s Dilemma to show how our connections influence cooperation and contagion.

Along the way you’ll find interactive simulations for disease spreading and preferential attachment, clear chapter timestamps, references for deeper reading, and shout-outs to everyone who made it possible. Oh, and there’s a 60% off sponsor code for Incogni if you’re into privacy protection.

Watch on YouTube