Arnaud Complainville shares an article based on interbrain synchrony studies and explains how it can be applied to group problem solving and group creativity.
‘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.
Key points include:
- Collective performance
- Verbal communication
- Higher inter-brain synchrony
Read the article, Interbrain Synchrony: Can consciousness extend across multiple brains?, on NeuroMindfulnessInstitute.com