How our hearts beat together: a study on physiological synchronization based on a self-paced joint motor task
Stephan Flory1, Sabino Guglielmini2, Felix Scholkmann2,3,4
1Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Department of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Stephan.Flory@usz.ch.
Scientific Reports
|July 25, 2023
Summary
Interpersonal heart rate synchronization increases during synchronized finger tapping. This effect stems from shared task engagement and mental effort, not direct sensory communication, suggesting a psychophysiological mode influences cardiac regulation.
Area of Science:
- Psychophysiology
- Social Neuroscience
- Human Interaction
Background:
- Cardiac physiological synchrony is linked to prosocial behavior in social interactions.
- The underlying mechanisms driving physiological synchrony remain largely undetermined.
- Understanding synchrony is crucial for social neuroscience and understanding human connection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the processes underlying interindividual cardiac physiological synchrony.
- To determine if sensory communication channels influence heart rate synchronization during a shared task.
- To explore the role of mental effort and shared task engagement in synchrony.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a self-paced interpersonal finger tapping synchronization task with 20 dyads.
- Manipulated sensory communication channels to control tapping synchrony levels.
- Applied wavelet transform coherence analysis to assess heart rate synchronization.
- Conducted control analyses with randomly paired participants to assess baseline synchrony.
Main Results:
- Observed significant increases in heart rate synchronization from baseline during the task.
- Found no significant differences in synchronization across different sensory blocking conditions.
- Control analyses showed no difference in synchrony between original and randomly paired dyads.
- Cardiac synchrony appears driven by a shared, task-related stimulus.
Conclusions:
- Interindividual cardiac physiological synchrony during synchronized tapping arises from shared task engagement and mental effort.
- A psychophysiological mode, induced by mental effort, leads to more uniform cardiac regulation.
- Cardiac synchrony is independent of direct sensory communication and subsequent pairings.
- Highlights the importance of study design and control analyses in synchrony research.
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