Sync to link: Endorphin-mediated synchrony effects on cooperation
Abstract
Behavioural synchronization has been shown to facilitate social bonding and cooperation but the mechanisms through which such effects are attained are poorly understood. In the current study, participants interacted with a pre-recorded confederate who exhibited different rates of synchrony, and we investigated three mechanisms for the effects of synchrony on likeability and trusting behaviour: self-other overlap, perceived cooperation, and opioid system activation measured via pain threshold. We show that engaging in highly synchronous behaviour activates all three mechanisms, and that these mechanisms mediate the effects of synchrony on liking and investment in a Trust Game. Specifically, self-other overlap and perceived cooperation mediated the effects of synchrony on interpersonal liking, while behavioural trust was mediated only by change in pain threshold. These results suggest that there are multiple compatible pathways through which synchrony influences social attitudes, but endogenous opioid system activation, such as β-endorphin release, might be important in facilitating economic cooperation.
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Synchrony increased interpersonal bonding and cotrust, and these effects were mediated both by endorphin release and perceived synchrony.
“A recent study that examined both those mechanisms together (Lang, Bahna, Shaver, Reddish, & Xygalatas, 2017) found that synchrony increased interpersonal bonding and cotrust, and that these effects were mediated both by endorphin release and perceived synchrony.”
From The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework (2018) · cites this paper as Lang, Bahna, Shaver, Reddish, & Xygalatas, 2017
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“…1995), and experimental research has supported this conjecture: synchronous behaviour has been shown to facilitate rapport and interpersonal liking (Hove & Risen, 2009; Lang et al., 2016; Miles et al., 2009); entitativity (Lakens & Stel, 2011; Reddish et al., 2013); cooperation in economic games…”
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Self-citationLet’s Dance Together: Synchrony, Shared Intentionality and Cooperation
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“These results are in accordance with a recent meta-analysis that examined the effects of synchrony on prosocial behaviours, social-bonding perception, social cognition, and positive affect, and found that the strongest effect of synchrony was on behavioural prosociality (Mogan et al., 2017).”
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Self-citationSynchronization Can Influence Trust Following Virtual Interaction
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The Psychology of Rituals: An Integrative Review and Process-Based Framework
Hobson, N. M., Schroeder, J., Risen, J. L., Xygalatas, D., & Inzlicht, M. (2018) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868317734944 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Lang, M., Bahna, V., Shaver, J. H., Reddish, P., & Xygalatas, D.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- University of Otago (NZ)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lang, Martin
- Venue
- Biological Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-07
- Volume
- 127
- Pages
- 191-197
- ISSN
- 0301-0511 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2624220869
- Cited by
- 120
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 13.99
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Biological Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Vedecká Grantová Agentúra MŠVVaŠ SR a SAV (2/0062/17)
- Marsden Fund (VUW 1321)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
- Masarykova Univerzita (895-2011-1009)
- European Social Fund
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- endorphins, opioid system, cooperation, trust, interpersonal liking, self-other overlap, pain threshold, social bonding, trust game, economic cooperation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude, Cooperative Behavior, Endorphins, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Pain Threshold, Trust, Young Adult
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