When Dogs and Humans Connect, So Do Their Brainwaves - Neuroscience News

In addition, the study found that the whole group synchronises its brain states when engaged in communication. Their neurons spiked and oscillated in similar ways, bringing their brains quite literally onto the same ‘wavelength’. And if the bats were ‘friendly’, having spent significant time together, their brains synchronised even more strongly – ... See more

In a pivotal study from 2010, Guillaume Dumas, assistant professor of computational psychiatry at the University of Montreal, showed that the brains of human participants mirrored each other on a neurological level when engaging in activities together, such as making funny, meaningless gestures with their hands while watching each other.

when we examine animal behaviour through a more collective lens, we begin to see that large portions of complex brains are hungry to work in harmony with others

To communicate with someone, we must connect with them. When we absorb what someone is saying, and they comprehend what we say, it’s because our brains have, to some degree, aligned

This work has widened into other contexts. Uri Hasson, a researcher at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, has shown that a good storyteller can induce synchronisation between her and her listener’s brains (if there’s shared common ground, experiences and beliefs); and, in a classroom setting, how well a student’s brain waves sync up with their p... See more