Our Brains Synchronize during A Conversation

The rhythms of brainwaves between two people taking part in a conversation begin to match each other, concludes a new study. According to scientists, this interbrain synchrony may be a key factor in understanding language and interpersonal communication.

A conversation. Image credit: Gelpgim22/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The rhythms of brainwaves between two people taking part in a conversation begin to match each other.

Something as simple as an everyday conversation causes the brains of the participants to begin to work simultaneously. This is the conclusion of a study carried out by the Basque Centre on Cognition, Brain, and Language (BCBL).

Until now, most traditional research had suggested the hypothesis that the brain "synchronizes" according to what is heard, and correspondingly adjusts its rhythms to auditory stimuli.

Now, the experts from this Donostia-based research centre have gone a step further and simultaneously analysed the complex neuronal activity of two strangers who hold a dialogue for the first time.

The team has confirmed by recording cerebral electrical activity- that the neuronal activity of two people involved in an act of communication "synchronize" in order to allow for a "connection" between both subjects.

It involves interbrain communion that goes beyond language itself and may constitute a key factor in interpersonal relations and the understanding of language.

Thus, the rhythms of the brainwaves corresponding to the speaker and the listener adjust according to the physical properties of the sound of the verbal messages expressed in a conversation. This creates a connection between the two brains, which begin to work together towards a common goal: communication.

The brains of the two people are brought together thanks to language, and communication creates links between people that go far beyond what we can perceive from the outside. We can find out if two people are having a conversation solely by analysing their brain waves.

Through electroencephalography (EEG) -- a non-invasive procedure that analyses electrical activity in the brain -- the scientists measured the movement of their brainwaves simultaneously and confirmed that their oscillations took place at the same time.

In the future, the understanding of this interaction between two brains would allow for the comprehension and analysis of very complex aspects of the fields of psychology, sociology, psychiatry, or education, using the neural images within an ecological or real-world context. (Tasnim News Agency)

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