Brain-to-Brain Synchronization When Sharing Positive Emotions Based on Memories: An fNIRS Hyperscanning Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Interpersonal neural synchrony, or brain-to-brain synchronization (BBS), is an emerging research area during collaborative tasks.
• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a key technology for measuring BBS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if sharing positive emotions via storytelling enhances neural synchrony among colleagues.
• To explore the impact of positive emotion sharing on BBS levels.

Main Methods:

• Fifteen co-worker pairs participated in simultaneous fNIRS recording during puzzle completion, positive memory sharing, and verbal reasoning tasks.
• BBS was assessed using wavelet transform coherence; linear mixed models analyzed session and group effects.
• Participants were grouped by the frequency of positive memory sharing practice.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in [O2Hb] BBS were observed in the left temporal-parietal region between sessions 1 and 3, and sessions 1 and 2.
• Groups with more frequent positive memory sharing practice exhibited higher BBS levels in both [O2Hb] and [tHb].

Conclusions:

• Continuous sharing of personal experiences with positive emotions significantly enhances neural synchrony among co-workers, especially in the left temporal-parietal region.
• Regular collaborative activities, like team-building, are important for enhancing workplace BBS.
• Further research with larger sample sizes is needed to validate these findings.