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Interpersonal Neural Synchronization during Interpersonal Touch Underlies Affiliative Pair Bonding between Romantic
Yuhang Long1, Lifen Zheng1, Hui Zhao1
1State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|November 4, 2020
Summary
Interpersonal touch synchronizes brain activity in romantic couples, strengthening their bond. This neural synchronization, particularly during touch, is linked to relationship closeness and modulated by empathy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Relationship Science
Background:
- Interpersonal touch is crucial for romantic relationships.
- The brain mechanisms linking touch to pair bonding are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) during touch underlies pair bonding in romantic couples.
- To explore the role of empathy in this neural mechanism.
Main Methods:
- Used functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning to measure INS in heterosexual romantic couples and friends.
- Compared neural synchronization during interpersonal touch versus vocal communication.
Main Results:
- Romantic couples showed greater INS between mentalizing and sensorimotor systems during touch compared to vocalization.
- This touch-induced INS correlated with self-reported romantic love strength.
- Men's empathy positively modulated the link between touch-induced INS and love strength.
Conclusions:
- INS during interpersonal touch is a neurocognitive mechanism underlying romantic pair bonding.
- Empathy plays a significant modulatory role in how touch strengthens romantic bonds.
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