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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Social Interaction

Background:

  • Gift exchange is a key aspect of interpersonal interactions.
  • Previous research explored the social functions of gift exchange in psychological and neuroscientific fields.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of prosocial behavior during gift exchange on cognitive performance.
  • To examine the effects of gift exchange on brain activity and interpersonal coordination.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 15 dyads of friends performing a cooperative attentional task before and after a gift exchange.
  • Utilized Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to record brain activity.
  • Analyzed behavioral performance (accuracy) and neural data (oxygenated hemoglobin, inter-brain connectivity).

Main Results:

  • Participants showed increased perceived cooperation and cognitive accuracy after gift exchange.
  • Neural activity revealed enhanced oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb) and increased intra-brain and inter-brain connectivity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).
  • ConIndex analysis indicated a greater increase in inter-brain connectivity compared to intra-brain connectivity in the DLPFC.

Conclusions:

  • Prosocial behavior inherent in gift exchange positively influences cognitive performance.
  • Gift exchange strengthens interpersonal relationships and enhances neural coordination, particularly in the DLPFC.
  • Increased intra- and inter-brain connectivity mechanisms are associated with improved social interactions and cognitive function.