Synchrony as an Adaptive Mechanism for Large‐Scale Human Social Bonding

Abstract

Humans have developed a number of specific mechanisms that allow us to maintain much larger social networks than would be expected given our brain size. For our primate cousins, social bonding is primarily supported using grooming, and the bonding effect this produces is primarily mechanistically underpinned by the release of endorphins (although other neurohormones are also likely to be involved). Given large group sizes and time budgeting constraints, grooming is not viable as the primary social bonding mechanism in humans. Instead, during our evolutionary history, we developed other behaviours that helped us to feel connected to our social communities. Here, we propose that synchrony might act as direct means to encourage group cohesion by causing the release of neurohormones that influence social bonding. By acting on ancient neurochemical bonding mechanisms, synchrony can act as a primal and direct social bonding agent, and this might explain its recurrence throughout diverse human cultures and contexts (e.g. dance, prayer, marching, music‐making). Recent evidence supports the theory that endorphins are released during synchronised human activities, including sport, but particularly during musical interaction. Thus, synchrony‐based activities are likely to have developed due to the fact that they allow the release of these hormones in large‐scale human communities, providing an alternative to social bonding mechanisms such as grooming.

The Synthesis of the Arts: From Ceremonial Ritual to “Total Work of Art”

“…As mentioned above, non-religious communal behaviors that are synchronized and rhythmic seem to be quite efficacious at creating group cohesion (Cohen et al, 2010;Reddish et al, 2013;Launay et al, 2016), without requiring supernatural belief. Likewise, belief in supernatural beings for many people, even in contemporary society, can operate effectively at the personal level, without requiring group rituals.…”

“…Synchronization of movement and emotional expression through group rituals fosters a communitarian sense of belonging to the group and reduces barriers for cooperation with group members, not least with non-kin (Reddish et al, 2013;Launay et al, 2016). In particular, singing, dancing, and drumming all trigger endorphin release in contexts where merely listening to music or performing low-energy musical activities does not (Dunbar et al, 2012).…”

Toward a Unification of the Arts

“…This classification reflects the fact that the arts, in general, serve two primary functions, namely the conveyance of narrative (theater, film, the visual arts, and narrative forms of dance) and the promotion of interpersonal coordination (dance and music). The narrative arts function to tell stories, often to support social learning through the modeling of prosocial behaviors (Boyd, 2009; Gottschall, 2012) and the stimulation of social cognition (Mar and Oatley, 2008), whereas the coordinative arts function to stimulate group participation, thereby serving as a symbol of group unity, a reinforcer of group affiliation, and a promoter of cooperation (Brown, 2000; Reddish et al, 2013; Launay et al, 2016). In fact, the promotion of social cooperation unites all of the arts from a functional perspective.…”

“…In the latter situation, a person experiences one rhythm in the music and different rhythm in the kinesthetic forces coming from his/her neighbors. At its best, moving in time with people by synchronizing one’s body movement with them can increase feelings of emotional attachment to them, resulting not only in an increase of social bonds but a willingness to cooperate with people and make personal sacrifices on behalf of the social group (McNeill, 1995; Reddish et al, 2013; Launay et al, 2016). The enhancement of social cooperation is perhaps the strongest functional role of the coordinative arts (Brown, 2000).…”

Coordination Matters: Interpersonal Synchrony Influences Collaborative Problem-Solving

“…Researchers exploring this phenomenon have consistently demonstrated that people experience a host of social (e.g., affiliation, Hove & Risen, 2009), cognitive (e.g., person memory, Macrae, Duffy, Miles, & Lawrence, 2008), perceptual (e.g., motion sensitivity, Valdesolo, Ouyang, & DeSteno, 2010), neurophysiological (e.g., β-endorphin release, Cohen, Ejsmond-Frey, Knight, & Dunbar, 2010) and behavioural (e.g., cooperation, Wiltermuth & Heath, 2009) effects when their actions are synchronized (see Mogan, Fischer, & Bulbulia, 2017 for an overview). McNeill (1995) has argued that synchronous actions (e.g., marching) serve to provide esprit de corps in military contexts, while large-scale coordination (e.g., singing, dancing, chanting) is at the heart of many collective rituals and is arguably a driving force of cultural evolution (Freeman, 2000;Launay, Tarr, & Dunbar, 2016). However, as pervasive as synchrony may be, less is known about precisely how and when synchronous actions functionally serve higher-order social goals.…”