Oxytocin improves synchronisation in leader-follower interaction

Abstract

The neuropeptide oxytocin has been shown to affect social interaction. Meanwhile, the underlying mechanism remains highly debated. Using an interpersonal finger-tapping paradigm, we investigated whether oxytocin affects the ability to synchronise with and adapt to the behaviour of others. Dyads received either oxytocin or a non-active placebo, intranasally. We show that in conditions where one dyad-member was tapping to another unresponsive dyad-member – i.e. one was following another who was leading/self-pacing – dyads given oxytocin were more synchronised than dyads given placebo. However, there was no effect when following a regular metronome or when both tappers were mutually adapting to each other. Furthermore, relative to their self-paced tapping partners, oxytocin followers were less variable than placebo followers. Our data suggests that oxytocin improves synchronisation to an unresponsive partner’s behaviour through a reduction in tapping-variability. Hence, oxytocin may facilitate social interaction by enhancing sensorimotor predictions supporting interpersonal synchronisation. The study thus provides novel perspectives on how neurobiological processes relate to socio-psychological behaviour and contributes to the growing evidence that synchronisation and prediction are central to social cognition.

Now you hear it: a predictive coding model for understanding rhythmic incongruity

“…7,9,10 Predictive processes constitute central mechanisms in the perception and cognition of music. They are prerequisites for joint music making [11][12][13] and are essential for musical tension and surprise, 10 as well as for intramusical meaning. 9 For this reason, several authors have proposed music as an ideal domain for testing and further developing PC theories, 15,16 informing our understanding of brain mechanisms in general, and perhaps even helping us to understand the fundamental prediction principles of the brain.…”

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“…Common foci are the relationship between synchronization and prosociality (Gebauer et al, 2016; Reddish et al, 2016; Rennung and Göritz, 2016; Tunçgenç and Cohen, 2016; Cirelli et al, 2017), and different forms of rhythmic behaviors in interaction (Large and Gray, 2015; Ravignani, 2015; Yu and Tomonaga, 2015; Ellamil et al, 2016; Gebauer et al, 2016; Greenfield et al, 2016; Moore et al, 2016; Schirmer et al, 2016; Wallot et al, 2016; Murphy and Schul, 2017). …”

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“…Instead, the account based on pro-social behavior being driven by enhanced movement synchrony could call for other neural processes, such as social affective networks (41) or neurohormonal mechanisms regulating e.g. endorphins or oxytocin release (42,43). Future research might attempt to shed light upon the role (and possible interplay) of these mechanisms in social interactive learning.…”