Synchrony and Physiological Arousal Increase Cohesion and Cooperation in Large Naturalistic Groups

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics
• Human Rituals

Background:

• Synchrony and physiological arousal are proposed factors influencing human rituals' impact on social cohesion and cooperation.
• Previous research has not experimentally manipulated these variables in field settings to determine their causal and interactive effects on prosocial behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal and interactive effects of synchrony and physiological arousal on prosocial behavior in a field setting.
• To understand the mechanisms behind the link between ritualistic behaviors and enhanced social cohesion.

Main Methods:

• Conducted four experimental sessions with large samples of strangers in a sports stadium.
• Manipulated synchronous and physiologically arousing elements of a group marching task.
• Utilized hidden aerial cameras for real-time spatial tracking of participants' movement, grouping, and cooperation in a free-rider dilemma.

Main Results:

• Both synchrony and arousal independently increased group size, clustering, and cooperation.
• An interaction effect was observed: synchrony enhanced clustering and cooperation only when paired with physiological arousal.
• Synchrony and arousal together significantly predicted greater prosocial behavior.

Conclusions:

• Synchrony and physiological arousal are key components that drive increased social cohesion and cooperation during group activities.
• The findings explain the frequent co-occurrence of synchrony and arousal in human rituals globally.
• Introduced real-time spatial tracking as a novel, naturalistic method for studying collective rituals.