Why do we fall into sync with others? Interpersonal synchronization and the brain’s optimization principle

ABSTRACT

Spontaneous interpersonal synchronization of rhythmic behavior such as gait or hand clapping is a ubiquitous phenomenon in human interactions, and is potentially important for social relationships and action understanding. Although several authors have suggested a role of the mirror neuron system in interpersonal coupling, the underlying brain mechanisms are not well understood. Here we argue that more general theories of neural computations, namely predictive coding and the Free Energy Principle, could explain interpersonal coordination dynamics. Each brain minimizes coding costs by reducing the mismatch between the representations of observed and own motor behavior. Continuous mutual prediction and alignment result in an overall minimization of free energy, thus forming a stable attractor state.

KEYWORDS:

• Social interaction
• prediction
• optimization
• social bonding
• synchronization

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to LK [PBGEP1_142252] and a grant from by the Danish Council for Independent Research - Technology and Production Sciences to IK [0602-03001B]. We would like to thank Drs. Ulman Lindenberger, Veronica Ramenzoni, Marcel Brass, Tom Verguts, and Scott Kelso for helpful discussions and comments on previous versions of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a fellowship from the Swiss National Science Foundation to LK [PBGEP1_142252] and a grant from by the Danish Council for Independent Research - Technology and Production Sciences to IK [0602-03001B].