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How and Why People Synchronize: An Integrated Perspective.

Elizabeth B daSilva¹, Adrienne Wood²

¹Indiana University Columbus, USA.

Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc

|May 21, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Interpersonal synchrony, the alignment of behavior and physiology, can be classified by its forms and functions. This framework helps understand how synchrony impacts social interactions and task accomplishment.

Keywords:

common ground dyadic interaction interpersonal synchrony physiological synchrony social connection social influence

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Behavioral Science
Cognitive Science

Background:

Interpersonal synchrony, the alignment of behavior and/or physiology during interactions, is a widespread phenomenon.
Existing research lacks a unified framework for classifying synchrony's diverse forms and functions across contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize existing knowledge and propose a comprehensive framework for classifying interpersonal synchrony.
To identify and categorize the manifold forms and interconnected functions of synchrony in social interactions.

Main Methods:

Systematic literature review and synthesis across diverse social contexts and behavioral measures.
Development of a classification system based on six dimensions of synchrony forms.
Distillation of proposed functions into four interconnected categories.

Main Results:

A six-dimensional framework classifying synchrony forms: periodicity, discreteness, spatial similarity, directionality, leader-follower dynamics, and observability.
Four interconnected functions of synchrony identified: reducing complexity, accomplishing joint tasks, strengthening social connection, and influencing behavior.
Demonstration that effective synchrony is context-dependent and goal-oriented, with 'more' not always being 'better'.

Conclusions:

The proposed framework provides a shared language and classification system for interpersonal synchrony research.
This synthesis facilitates cross-context and cross-behavior comparisons, generating novel hypotheses.
Highlights future research directions for a deeper understanding of synchrony's role in social dynamics.