Our Minds Appear to Sync With Others When We're Holding a ...

Our brain waves can synchronise with others when we're in conversation with them, according to new research. It's not quite mind reading, ... Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com HUMANS OurMindsAppeartoSyncWithOthersWhenWe'reHoldingaConversation DAVIDNIELD 22JULY2017 Ourbrainwavescansynchronisewithotherswhenwe'reinconversationwiththem,accordingtonewresearch.It'snotquitemindreading,butitcouldteachusmoreaboutthenatureoflanguageandrelationships.  Basedonreadingsfromelectroencephalography(EEG)machines,thestudyshowsremarkablesimilaritiesbetweenbrainactivityastwopeoplechattoeachother–asortof"interbrainsynchronisation".AndaccordingtothetheresearchersfromtheBasqueCentreonCognition,Brain,andLanguage(BCBL)inSpain,thefindingscouldhelpineverythingfromtreatingthosewithspeechdifficultiestoteachingnewlanguages."Thebrainsofthetwopeoplearebroughttogetherthankstolanguage,andcommunicationcreateslinksbetweenpeoplethatgofarbeyondwhatwecanperceivefromtheoutside,"saysoneoftheteam,JonAndoniDuñabeitia."Wecanfindoutiftwopeoplearehavingaconversationsolelybyanalysingtheirbrainwaves."Theteamgottogether16menand14women,noneofwhomkneweachother,withagesrangingfrom19to31years.Afterbeingsplitintosame-sexpairs,thevolunteerswereplacedeithersideofanopaquepartitionandgivenconversationscriptstoworkfrom.Theparticipantsalsotookitinturnstobethelistenerandthespeaker.Whentrackingbrainwavesinthecouples,thescientistsnoticedthattherepeatedwavesoroscillationsstartedtomatchupaspeopletalkedtoeachother.It'salmostasifthebrainsareworkingtogethertoachievethegoalofcommunication,theresearcherssay.  StarTrekfansmightrecognisesimilaritiestotheVulcanmind-meldtrick,wheretwopeoplecanshareoneconsciousness,thoughwithouttheface-grabbing.Theteamlabelledthephenomenon"brain-to-brainentrainment"initswrite-up,andnotedsimilaritieswithpreviousstudiesthathadspottedsomelevelofneuralsynchronisationwhenpeoplegetchattingtogether.Whereasearlierresearchsuggestedourbrainscanadapttheirpatternsbasedonwhatwe'rehearing,thisstudypointstosomethingspecialabouttheactofsocialisingdirectlywithotherpeople,andtheresearcherswanttoseefurtherstudiesexplorethewayweengageinone-on-onesituations.Brainsynchronisationbetweenspeakerandlistener.Credit:BCBLEventually,wemightbeabletoworkoutwhatpeoplearetalkingabout,aswellasbeingabletospotwho'sengagedinconversation,frombrainactivityalone.Whileanyresearchthathelpsusunderstandthemysteriousinnerworkingsofthebrainisgoingtobeuseful,weshouldnotetherelativelysmallsamplesizeinthisstudy–andtheresearchersthemselvesadmitthere'sstillalottoexplore.AndoneofthenexttestsplannedattheBCBListoseeifthesamesynchronisationhappenswhenpeoplearetalkinginnon-nativelanguages."Demonstratingtheexistenceofneuralsynchronybetweentwopeopleinvolvedinaconversationhasonlybeenthefirststep,"saysoneoftheresearchers,AlejandroPérez."Therearemanyunansweredquestionsandchallengeslefttoresolve."TheresearchhasbeenpublishedinScientificReports.