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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors

Assessment of Social Interaction Behaviors

Published on: February 25, 2011

Short-term dynamic changes in interbrain synchrony during first social interaction between strangers.

Dovrat Atias¹, Andrey Markus², Simone Shamay-Tsoory²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.

|January 24, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Interbrain synchrony, measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), rapidly increases during initial conversations between strangers. This neural alignment, particularly in frontal and premotor areas, predicts increased movement synchronization and social bonding.

Keywords:

Connectedness First interaction IFG Interbrain synchrony Movement synchronization PMC dlPFC

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Social Psychology
Cognitive Science

Background:

Interbrain synchrony is increasingly recognized for its role in relationship formation.
However, the dynamic evolution of interbrain synchrony during initial social interactions remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate dynamic changes in behavioral and interbrain synchrony during first encounters between strangers.
To examine how these neural dynamics predict changes in movement synchronization and social connectedness.

Main Methods:

Utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to track interbrain synchrony in 106 participants during a 5-minute conversation.
Assessed movement synchronization and dyadic connectedness as outcome measures.

Main Results:

Movement synchronization significantly increased throughout the interaction, predicting dyadic connectedness.
Heightened interbrain synchrony was observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and premotor cortex (PMC).
A gradual increase in interbrain synchrony was noted in specific dlPFC-IFG and PMC-IFG connections, with PMC-IFG synchrony predicting movement synchronization at the interaction's end.

Conclusions:

Interbrain synchrony is a rapidly plastic, experience-dependent mechanism emerging during natural conversation, not a static correlate of shared states.
Minute-by-minute increases in behavioral and neural alignment are foundational for social bond formation, potentially via motor pathways.