What is Synchrony and Why is it Important?

We know that synchrony is an essential and crucial part of the way we bond with others. Interpersonal synchrony is defined as the spontaneous rhythmic coordination of actions, emotions, thoughts, and physiological processes across time between two or more individuals. When we find ourselves nodding at the same time as our conversation partner or smiling together when we watch a funny movie, that’s synchrony. When we clap our hands in unison with others during a concert or while happily playing with our child, that’s synchrony.

Source: 'Gordon Johnson/Pixabay'

Developmental research has shown that synchrony is particularly important for creating a bond between parents and infants. Synchronous behaviors between mother or father and their infant emerge around the third month of life. With consistent and repeated interactions, it helps shape the mental world of infants so that they can experience their world as safe and rich. Parent-infant synchronous states are the background for the development of neural, physiological, mental, social, and behavioral systems. Just as human parental behaviors vary across individuals, so does parent-infant synchrony. Some pairs show a high degree of synchronous states and others show a lower degree.

In any case, synchrony is the minority. It resides between moments of asynchrony. We go back and forth between synchrony and asynchrony during our social interactions. Consider eye-contact as an example. We shift our gaze often, moving continuously and dynamically from eye-contact to no eye-contact with our partners. In my research lab, we have recently suggested that these dynamical shifts are related to positive aspects of the relationship and social abilities.

Synchrony of behaviors between parents and infants is embedded within dynamic biological and neural functions that develop as experiences occur—constantly shaping and being shaped by behavioral synchrony. These biological processes provide an additional level of representation and understanding to interpersonal coordination. For instance, we know there are hormones, like oxytocin and cortisol, as well as markers of the autonomic nervous system, like heart rate, and certain neural networks, like the empathy system that are associated with synchrony.

Source: 'Henning Westerkamp/Pixabay'

But what about later on in life? When we grow up, we start joining groups that greatly shape our identity. It is surprising how little research has tapped into the neurobiological or physiological basis of synchrony within the context of group experiences throughout the lifespan. In an opinion piece from 2014, several colleagues and I noted: “We are born into groups and 'join' others very early in life. Groups are a hugely important part of how we function in society… From kindergarten to the classroom and onto professional organizations in adulthood, groups are the mechanism by which we take care of each other, work and play, create and destroy. They teach us what to feel and often when to feel. From groups, we learn about our own identity and our beliefs about others… Social psychology teaches us that the group formation process is so basic that a sense of connectedness among group members happens very swiftly, creating a sense of security and belonging and shaping perception, behavior, identity, and beliefs.”

We further called researchers to address interpersonal synchrony processes in groups, as they represent bonds between group members. We suggested that shared group processes, just like the parent-infant interactions, also have distinct neurophysiologic underpinnings that have not been comprehensively studied. And indeed, in recent years, my lab has been involved in several large-scale projects that examine group processes from a biological perspective focusing on synchrony and coordination. I’ll cover these studies further in future posts.