Podcast Summary

Podcast: Más de uno
Host: Carlos Alsina (Onda Cero)
Episode: No nos hagamos daño: Queramos como amigos
Date: January 8, 2026
Guest: Jorge Freire

Overview

This episode’s self-help segment, “No nos hagamos daño,” hosted by Carlos Alsina and featuring Jorge Freire, dives humorously and thoughtfully into the meaning of friendship in the modern era. Under the theme “Queramos como amigos” ("Let's Love as Friends"), Freire reflects on what it really means to call someone a friend amid today’s social and digital realities, referencing current politics, anthropology, classic philosophy, and pop culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Phrase “Queramos como amigos” in Current Events

• Context: Jorge Freire kicks off by referencing a recent political exchange: Sánchez allegedly sends a heartfelt WhatsApp saying "te quiero como un amigo" to Ábalos before his detention, then later claims he hardly knows Ábalos.
  • Freire downplays accusations of contradiction, suggesting that, “Querer como un amigo no significa nada en un tiempo en que todos tenemos no un millón de amigos… pero sí unos cuantos cientos o incluso miles en Facebook, que por cierto está más muerto que MySpace.” [00:17]

2. The Anthropological View: Dunbar’s Number

• Robin Dunbar’s research: Humans can only maintain around 150 meaningful relationships due to evolutionary constraints.
  • Freire quips: “El antropólogo Robin Dunbar ha establecido que nuestra mente no está diseñada para más de 150 relaciones significativas... Por eso hay amigos que son uña y carne. La roña de la uña y la carne del pescuezo, que ni es carne ni es hueso.” [00:29]

3. The Absurdity of Social Networks

• Freire highlights the artificial inflation of "friends" in social networks, comparing Facebook to obsolete MySpace and noting that quantity doesn't equal meaningful connection.
  • “Sobra decir que las redes sociales superan con mucho el llamado número Dámbar [sic].” [00:36]

4. Philosophical Reflection

• Aristotle’s ambiguous wisdom: He references a cryptic Aristotelian maxim—“Oh, amigos no hay amigos”—paraphrased as "If everyone is a friend, no one is."
  • “Si todos son amigos, ninguno lo es.” [00:56]

5. The Supermarket of Friendship

• Satirizing commodification, Freire humorously suggests friendships are treated like bargains or perishables:
  • “En el supermercado de la amistad los amigos van al peso como los besugos. No nos sorprendamos en el en consecuencia, sí caducan pronto.” [01:10]

6. The “Peugeot Rule of Friendship”

• He jests there's an ideal number of friends, possibly somewhere between Dunbar’s scientific 150 and “los 4 del Peugeot” (referencing the limited seating in a Peugeot car).
  • “Calculo que el número máximo de amigos debe de andar entre los 150 del antropólogo Dunbar y los 4 del Peugeot.” [01:01]

7. Jorge’s Practical Conclusion

• Fewer, deeper relationships matter more than a vast, shallow network:
  • “Tengamos pocas pero buenas amistades, mejor nos iría edificando menos rascacielos de amigos y más chozas robustas donde solo entren unos pocos.” [01:27]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On modern friendship:

  • “Querer como un amigo no significa nada en un tiempo en que todos tenemos… unos cuantos cientos o incluso miles en Facebook, que por cierto está más muerto que MySpace.” — Jorge Freire [00:17]

• Dunbar’s number / Peugeot joke:

  • “Calculo que el número máximo de amigos debe de andar entre los 150 del antropólogo Dunbar y los 4 del Peugeot.” — Jorge Freire [01:01]

• Friendship doesn’t scale:

  • “Si todos son amigos, ninguno lo es.” — Jorge Freire quoting Aristotle [00:56]

• On choosing wisely:

  • “Mejor nos iría edificando menos rascacielos de amigos y más chozas robustas donde solo entren unos pocos.” — Jorge Freire [01:27]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:08] — Introduction to “Queramos como amigos” and political context
• [00:17] — The emptiness of modern “friendship” at scale
• [00:29] — Dunbar’s number and evolutionary friendship limits
• [00:56] — Aristotle’s viewpoint: “If all are friends, no one is.”
• [01:01] — The Peugeot joke: an ideal friend group size
• [01:10] — Friends in the “supermarket,” and the expiration of relationships
• [01:27] — Closing advice: quality over quantity in friendship

Tone and Language

The segment is witty, lightly ironic, and peppered with cultural and philosophical references. Jorge Freire balances humor and insight, inviting listeners to reflect on the real value of friendship while poking fun at modern habits and clichés.

For listeners:
This episode offers a sharp, memorable take on the authenticity and limits of friendship—through politics, anthropology, and a sprinkle of automotive humor. Whether you’re questioning your social network or pondering Aristotle, Freire and Alsina make sure you do it with a smile.