Work together, move together-Cooperation and rapport promote interpersonal synchrony

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Human Movement Science
• Behavioral Neuroscience

Background:

• Interpersonal synchrony, or movement synchrony, is crucial for social bonding and collaboration.
• While synchrony enhances rapport, it's unclear if cooperative tasks increase subsequent spontaneous synchrony.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if collaborative task engagement boosts spontaneous movement synchrony in a later, unrelated activity.
• To examine the roles of initial rapport and mood in mediating this effect.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-four same-gender dyads completed a jigsaw puzzle either collaboratively or individually.
• Following the puzzle task, dyads engaged in synchronized trampoline jumping.
• Participant rapport and mood were assessed.

Main Results:

• Dyads who collaborated on the puzzle showed significantly greater movement synchrony during trampoline jumping compared to individual work dyads.
• Initial rapport emerged as a stronger predictor of movement synchrony than the collaborative task manipulation.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative interactions serve as a precursor to enhanced interpersonal synchrony.
• Initial rapport is a key factor in developing movement synchrony, underscoring the deep connection between human cooperation and synchrony.