“We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another.”
– Ram Dass –
Human intellect has evolved beyond that of most animals, but our ability to completely transform our environment and build civilizations relies on another unique feature: our capacity to connect with others and collaborate on a common project.
Very few of us would have the necessary knowledge and skills to build a modern building from scratch. We rely on each other’s domain of competence (architecture, plumbery, electricity, masonry…) and by collaborating and sharing this knowledge and these skills, we can collectively accomplish great things.
One striking feature of our ability to connect is how we can collectively get in sync. We even have an expression for that: “being on the same wavelength”. We will see in this article that this expression can be taken ad literam, as recent discoveries in brain science showed.
One example of such synchronization is how we collectively tune in to music. Listening to music alone is nice, but attending a concert with thousands of people and getting attuned together to the same music provides a unique feeling of togetherness. Singing together or playing musical instruments together brings it to the next level, because we are co-creating the musical experience. Several scholars, such as Steven Brown and Steven Mithen, developed a theory called musical protolanguage theory, which says that before the evolution of a fully structured language, humans communicated using a musical protolanguage, which was closer to music than to language, and that language evolved from this early form of music. Music and rhythm are thought to have played a big role in strengthening social bonds through collective singing, drumming, and rhythmic movements. The reason why those rhythms have been and still are a powerful way to strengthen social connection is because they lead our brains to synchronize their activity, and in particular our brainwaves.
This phenomenon of interbrain synchrony is not limited to music, and is present in any form of social interaction with a high level of collaboration. A few years ago, such research was limited by the fact that researchers could measure the brain activity of 1 person at a time using fMRI. A new field of research was opened thanks to a new technology called Near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allowing to measure the activity of several interacting brains in real time. What researchers discovered is that we have in our brains the equivalent of a “neural wifi” system, called the mutual attention system that synchronizes across brains when we experience a significant connection. This synchronization can entrain synchronization in other parts of the brain, and drives collaboration and social alignment, which can manifest into motor, emotional and cognitive alignment.
Those studies have been conducted in a variety of interaction settings, for example puzzle solving, joint finger tapping, joint singing, math task, problem solving, creativity task and spoken communication. In all these interaction settings, interbrain synchrony was observed and was correlated to collective performance. In most studies conducted, interbrain synchrony was present in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), involved in all higher cognitive functions, and in the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), which is involved in theory of mind, also called cognitive empathy, ie. the capacity to imagine what the other is thinking. This network composed of the PFC and TPJ was named by some authors the mutual attention system, and is thought to be at the core of brain synchronization processes.
Interbrain synchrony in the mutual attention system first leads to joint attention to important stimuli: everybody pays attention to the same thing, such as the task they are trying to accomplish together. The second step is heightened attention to communication cues, such as facial expression, mutual gazes. This leads the interacting partners to allocate more attention to the interaction itself. The last step is higher cognitive functions such as theory of mind and predictive modeling, which will allow each partner to build a mental model of how the others think and how they will react in various situations.
This mechanism is reinforced by a feedback loop involving the reward and caring systems: the heightened attention to the interaction due to Inter-brain synchrony in the mutual attention system leads the partners into social alignment, a state in which movements, emotions and cognition come in sync. This feeling of being on the same wavelength reinforces the bond and the feeling of closeness between the partners. This activates both the release of two neurochemicals: oxytocin, which makes us trust people, and dopamine, which makes us enjoy the interaction and assigns value to the significance of the interaction. This “feel good“ neurochemical cocktail further reinforces synchrony in the mutual attention system. Thanks to that positive feedback loop involving oxytocin and dopamine, people experiencing high interbrain synchrony also display more pro-social behaviors, which means they are more likely to be kind, respect and help their partners.
Why is this phenomenon important for cooperation? There is clear evidence that Interbrain synchrony in the mutual attention system is correlated with group performance. This has been demonstrated in various experimental settings, including notably effective verbal communication, group problem solving and group creativity.
Let’s first explore verbal communication.
Effective verbal communication is much more than mere voice signal production, listening and language processing. It requires conceptual alignment between the parties, which helps overcome ambiguity and fill the gaps in understanding. An old but elegant piece of research from 2010 has shown that while the speaker and the listener brain activity synchronize, but in some brain regions (PFC and striatum) the listener’s brain activity precedes the speaker’s, and this preceding activity is correlated with higher comprehension. This suggests that when the discussion partners are in sync, the listener anticipates what the speaker will say. This gives the listener more time to process the input and can compensate for ambiguity in communication or a noisy background that could hinder comprehension. For the listener’s brain to anticipate what the speaker will say next, both parties need to share a conceptual representation of the topic they are discussing. It appears that verbal communication is a 2 brains activity (or more) that requires neural alignment across those brains. This alignment occurs at the linguistic level and also at the level of extra-linguistic conceptual representations of the concepts and ideas discussed.
What makes group problem solving superior to individual problem solving? Group problem solving relies on 2 processes:
- alignment of the positions of the different members of the group,
- and group creative thinking.
The first one does not require to generate new ideas, but is essential to make sure that all the perspectives from the different group members are heard and taken into account to come up with a solution that integrates them all. For example, when discussing a challenge in a leadership team meeting, it is critical that every member hears what impact the decision would have on marketing, on R&D, HR and other functions. The best decision for the company might end up being a compromise for some departments, but acknowledging every perspective is essential to get the buy-in of everyone who will work on the implementation.
During such a process, inter-brain synchrony is essential to ensure proper understanding of each other’s perspectives. Both emotional empathy and cognitive empathy (theory of mind) are key, and interbrain synchrony starts with the mutual attention system that includes the PFC and the Temporoparietal junction, the seat of cognitive empathy, allowing to understand the other’s perspective. Moreover, such interbrain synchrony leads to the production of oxytocin, which is known to increase emotional empathy and trust. Therefore, this connection across brains is a key factor of collaborative behaviors in a team, allowing for productive and respectful discussions taking into account each other’s perspectives.
Group creative thinking is a very important part of team performance, since it allows teams to come up with innovative solutions that a single individual might not have imagined.
Individual creative thinking relies on connections made by our unconscious minds between concepts stored through our experience. In the context of group creative thinking, the experience database stored in the unconscious minds of all the team members is much broader. The question is how can we tap into this collective intelligence to build on each other’s ideas and come up with a solution that would not have emerged individually?
Interbrain synchrony is also key to that process. It has been observed in 3 networks during high-performance group creative thinking: the central executive network, responsible for focus and attention (including the PFC), the theory of mind network (Temporo-parietal junction), and the mirror neurons network (Superior temporal gyrus).
High creative groups displayed several characteristics:
- Higher inter-brain synchrony in the 3 networks mentioned above, in particular in the mirror neurons network
- Collective flexibility – they were open to the ideas of the others
- Delayed perspective-taking.
The last point is important. It does not mean that they were not taking into account the ideas of the other, but that they kept sharing the ideas that came to their minds, while attending to the information shared by partners at the same time. In other words, they did not suppress their own individual idea generation to jump on building on ideas from partners and collaborative idea convergence, which is what low creativity groups did. This research highlights the importance of creating a setting that favors Interbrain synchrony, and finding the right balance between individual and group ideation.
Since interbrain synchrony is a cornerstone of collaboration, how can we favor it?
1) The first element favoring it is the shared intentionality of the relationships. Partners need to have mutual goals for interbrain synchrony to happen.
2) The type of social activity matters: a cooperative and interactive activity will generate higher interbrain synchrony than a competitive activity or a simultaneous activity which does not require interaction between the partners.
3) The setting of the interaction: face-to-face setting will favor interbrain synchrony over online. Shared gazes and smiles are important in the process. Because of the small distance between the camera and the screen, even 1 to 1 video interaction does not convey shared gazes the way a face-to-face interaction does.
4) The nature of the interacting partners: the interaction has to be considered significant. Romantic partners will have a higher level of interbrain synchrony than colleagues. However, if the partners consider that the interaction is mutually beneficial for them, it can be considered significant by their brains.
5) Mindfulness practice has been shown to favor interbrain synchrony, even just 15 min of practice before an interaction. Mindfulness practice is known to improve empathy and attention, so it is not surprising that it improves cross-brain connections since the process starts with synchronization in the mutual attention system.
In August 2023 I participated in the French freefly formation head-down skydiving record, where we managed to build a 54-way head-down formation in freefall. What really helped me manage the performance anxiety and stress was to feel as a part of a big group flying together to accomplish this crazy goal. During the climb of the plane, I repeated the mantra “we are one” to feel and cultivate that connection. Our team rituals and bonding played a huge role in the cohesion of all flyers.
I believe we achieved interbrain synchrony leading to success through:
- Being fully focused on the same goal,
- Participating in a very interactive activity in which we must help each other and reach perfect coordination to succeed,
- Sharing gazes with other flyers, to use them as reference points, but mostly to enjoy these unique moments 😊,
- Training together for that objective for several years, which turned us into a large group of friends. That made the interaction even more significant than the objective,
- Developing team bonding rituals such as taking a deep breath together holding hands in the plane,
- A caring and effective leadership, predominantly female, guiding us to visualize the flight and prepare our minds to it during the ground rehearsals and in the plane, combined with breathing practices and a mindfulness approach.
Interbrain synchrony sheds a new perspective on human interactions, and raises the question of extended consciousness across several brains. Consciousness is thought to emerge from cell assemblies, which describe groups of cells that fire together. When neurons within an assembly fire together, they form a pattern that relates to a specific cognitive function. Flexible cooperation among local and distant cell assemblies is believed to underlie nearly all cognitive behaviors, such as perception, action, attention, memory, decision, concepts, language and thoughts. Over time, the repetitive firing of these neurons can strengthen their connections, making the assembly more efficient and possibly contributing to the subjective experience of consciousness.
Interbrain synchrony extends this idea across several brains. When considering cell assemblies across several brains, they are not connected through a neural substrate, but through perception of the senses and that immaterial feeling of togetherness. This raises the following question: if those cell assemblies, the substrate of consciousness can extend across several brains, can consciousness also expand across several people?
This scientific concept resonates with the view of ancient yogis on our interconnectedness.
Ancient Yogis believed that our individual consciousness is merely a part of a greater universal consciousness, and that the identification to the individual consciousness and the ego is an illusion. This interconnectedness suggests that at a deeper level, all beings are united. The realization of this unity is central to connecting individual consciousnesses.
Yogic practices (Asanas, Pranayama, Meditation, etc.) are designed to quiet the mind, reduce the dominance of the ego, and lead to a state where an individual can experience oneness with everything. Through regular practice, individuals can transcend their perceived separateness, leading to a harmonious sync with the consciousness of others. This is often experienced in group meditation sessions where a collective consciousness seems to emerge.
The use of sound vibrations, such as in chanting mantras, is another method to connect consciousnesses. Sound vibrations can resonate and align individual energies, fostering a sense of unity and collective consciousness.
Through various practices that reduce the ego’s dominance and heighten spiritual awareness, individuals can come into sync, not just with each other, but with the universal consciousness itself. This connection transcends physical and mental boundaries, leading to a profound sense of oneness and harmony.
It is fascinating to witness how modern science converges with ancient practices and wisdom.
#neuromindfulness
References:
- Stephens et al., 2010. “Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication”. PNAS August 2010
- Valencia AL., Froese T., 2020. “What binds us? Inter-brain neural synchronization and its implications for theories of human consciousness”. Neuroscience of Consciousness, Volume 2020
- Gvirts H. & Perlmutter R., 2020 “What Guides Us to Neurally and Behaviorally Align With Anyone Specific? A Neurobiological Model Based on fNIRS Hyperscanning Studies” Neuroscientist April 2020
- Müller V., 2022. “Neural Synchrony and Network Dynamics in Social Interaction: A Hyper-Brain Cell Assembly Hypothesis” Front. Hum. Neurosci., April 2022
- Lu K. et al., 2023. “The hyper-brain neural couplings distinguishing high-creative group dynamics: an fNIRS hyperscanning study”. Cerebral Cortex, March 2023
- Kelsen B. et al., 2022. “What has social neuroscience learned from hyperscanning studies of spoken communication? A systematic review”. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, January 2022
- Czeszumski A. et al., 2022. “Cooperative Behavior Evokes Interbrain Synchrony in the Prefrontal and Temporoparietal Cortex: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of fNIRS Hyperscanning Studies”. eNeuro. Mar-Apr 2022
- Deng X. et al., 2023. “The role of mindfulness on theta inter-brain synchrony during cooperation feedback processing: An EEG-based hyperscanning study”. Int J Clin Health Psychol.Oct-Dec 2023
- Qingming L., 2024 “Inter-brain neural mechanism and influencing factors underlying different cooperative behaviors: a hyperscanning study”. Brain Struct Funct. Jan 2024
- Brown S., 2027. “A Joint Prosodic Origin of Language and Music”. Front Psychol. 2017
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