ETH Zürich study reveals brain synchrony patterns in social bonding

A study from ETH Zürich, published in the journal ‘Plos Biology’, has revealed how brain synchrony differs between intergenerational and peer-aged social connections. Researchers investigated the physiological effects of social bonding to address loneliness, which is recognized globally as a growing health risk.

Through a six-week study involving 61 pairs of participants engaged in drawing activities, researchers compared age-matched pairs with intergenerational pairs (comprising individuals aged 18–35 and 70–85). The findings showed that intergenerational pairs exhibited higher initial brain synchrony, which decreased over time. In contrast, peer-aged pairs showed increasing brain synchrony as the weeks progressed.

Scientists attribute this to the ‘mutual prediction’ model, where individuals learn to anticipate each other's behavior. While peers with similar lifestyles found common ground quickly, intergenerational pairs required more effort to understand one another, explaining the initial high synchrony and subsequent divergence.