Abstract
This study examined ways in which rhythmic features of movement contribute to bonding between individuals. Though previous studies have described synchrony as a form of social glue, this research extends those findings to consider the impact of fast versus slow tempo on movement synchrony. This two-part experiment examined dyadic interactions as they occurred between same-sex strangers (Study 1) and friends (Study 2). Participants were video-recorded as they engaged in 5- or 6-min chats, and synchrony was evaluated using wavelet transform via calculations of cross-wavelet coherence. Study 1 employed regression commonality analysis and hierarchical linear modeling and found that among various frequency bands, rapport between individuals was positively associated with synchrony under 0.025 Hz (i.e., slower than once every 40 s) and 0.5–1.5 Hz (i.e., once every 0.67–2 s). On the contrary, Study 2 determined that synchrony of 0.5–1.5 Hz was not impactful among friend dyads and only predictive of the motivation to cultivate a friendly relationship during interactions with strangers. These results indicate the existence of a distinctive rhythm for bonding individuals, and the role of pre-existing friendship as a moderator of the bonding effect of synchrony. However, the role of relative phase (i.e., timing of movement; same versus opposite timing) remains unclear, as the ratio of in- and anti-phase patterning had no significant influence on perceived rapport and motivation to develop relationships. On the basis of the research results, a theoretical contribution is proposed to the study of interpersonal coordination.
Highlights
Among the novel results of this study is our finding that the specific frequency band of movement synchrony distinctively predicted rapport
The results of employing the wavelet transform indicated that some rhythmic convergences predicted rapport in a manner that distinguished them from other frequency bands (Study 1), and the rhythmic convergence of specific frequency bands was predictive of the motivation to develop a relationship (Study 2)
The rhythmic features of movement synchrony for social bonding identified in this study are highly compatible with the general idea of co-existing dual middle- and slow-tempo frequency bands
Summary
In exchange for extra course credit, 88 Japanese undergraduates volunteered to participate in the experiment. Each participant was randomly paired with a same-gender stranger. The conversations were not captured due to a malfunction in the video equipment and were removed from a subsequent analysis, such that a total of 42 dyads from 84 participants (46 males, 38 females, Mage = 18.77, SDage = 1.07) were analyzed
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