The role of mechanical coupling in (spontaneous) interpersonal synchronisation

What is it about?

Human interaction with music and an associated meaning formation is a time dependent process, often relying on socio-motor improvisation. Important temporal parameters are rhythm, synchronization and entrainment. Interpersonal musical interaction typically relies on the mutual exchange of auditory and visual information. Inspired by the finding of Christiaan Huygens that two pendulum clocks spontaneously synchronize when hanging from a common, moveable wooden beam, we explored the possible use of a mechanical coupling as an alternative coupling modality between people to strengthen joint (musical) synchronization. From a coupled oscillator viewpoint, we hypothesized that pairs of participants standing on a common moveable platform, would cause bidirectional passive body motion (and corresponding proprioceptive, vestibular and somatosensory sensations) leading to enhanced interpersonal coordination and mutual entrainment. To test this hypothesis we asked pairs of participants to perform a musical synchronization-continuation task while standing on a moveable platform. Their rhythmic movements were compared under different conditions: mechanically coupled/decoupled platforms, and spontaneous/instructed synchronization. The overall conclusion is that a mechanical coupling indeed influences synchronization and phase consistency of the participants' movements. Possible applications can be found in the domains of music education, dance and music performance, sports and well-being.

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Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash