Mirrored Moves: The Interplay between Non-verbal Synchrony, I-sharing, Positive Affect and Task Performance

Abstract

Currently, the positive effects of non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing between two or more people are widely known. Non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing are both related to more prosocial behaviour, liking and social bonding towards other people. However, the effects of non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing on individual outcomes remain underexplored. Through the social skills humans hold, the ability arises to cooperate. Positive emotions arise while cooperating with other people. Furthermore, positive affect facilitates more efficacious cooperation. Current study tested whether non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing both are related to increased positive affect, and if non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing lead to better task performance. Additionally, the role of positive affect as a mediator between non-verbal synchrony and task performance, and between I-sharing and task performance was investigated. In this study, 40 dyads took part in an experiment consisting of a synchronised movement dance, an affect questionnaire, and a tangram puzzle task. Contrary to expectations, none of the hypotheses were supported. These findings indicate that there is no difference in the effect of non-verbal synchrony and I-sharing on positive affect and task performance. Additionally, this study shows that different tasks benefit from different types of dyadic behaviour beforehand. Future research should explore which specific behaviours are most beneficial for enhancing cooperation in different contexts.