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Brain Waves Synchronize when People Interact

There’s growing research on a fascinating phenomenon called brainwave synchronization. It turns out that during social interactions, people’s brainwaves can actually align with each other.  This synchronization seems to be linked to positive social experiences like empathy, cooperation, and even just feeling a connection with someone.

Here’s a bit more about it:

The Science Behind It: Brainwaves are electrical signals produced by the brain, and they can vary in their frequency. When two people’s brainwaves start to synchronize, it means their brain activity is becoming similar. This is measured using EEG (electroencephalography) which tracks electrical activity in the brain.

Social Benefits: Studies suggest this synchronization might play a role in how well we connect with others. For instance, research has shown that couples or close friends tend to have more brainwave synchrony than strangers. This alignment might be underlying our ability to understand each other better, cooperate more effectively, and even feel more empathy.

Beyond Face-to-Face: Interestingly, brainwave synchronization can even happen during remote interactions. Studies have found that people’s brainwaves can sync up while playing games together online, even when they are in separate locations

 

Justin Handley

Justin Handley

Justin Handley is a multi-instrumentalist, technologist, and hobbyist neuro-scientist. He is half of the duo Silvermouse, the director of technology at the Monroe Institute, and the creater of the field of study he terms 'Sentiosonics'.

This is a review of the following article:

Brain Waves Synchronize when People Interact
By: Lydia Denworth
Neuroscientists usually investigate one brain at a time. They observe how neurons fire as a person reads certain words, for example, or plays a video game. As social animals, however, those same scientists do much of their work together—brainstorming hypotheses, puzzling over problems and fine-tuning experimental designs. Increasingly, researchers are bringing that reality into how they study brains.
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