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The choreography of human attraction: physiological synchrony in a blind date setting

View ORCID ProfileE. Prochazkova, E. E. Sjak-Shie, F. Behrens, D. Lindh, View ORCID ProfileM. E. Kret
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748707
E. Prochazkova
1Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
2Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Albinusdreef 2, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
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  • ORCID record for E. Prochazkova
E. E. Sjak-Shie
1Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
2Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Albinusdreef 2, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
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F. Behrens
1Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
2Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Albinusdreef 2, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
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D. Lindh
3School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
4Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
5Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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M. E. Kret
1Leiden University, Institute of Psychology, Cognitive Psychology Unit, Wassenaarseweg 52, Leiden 2333 AK, The Netherlands
2Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Albinusdreef 2, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands
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  • For correspondence: m.e.kret@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
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Abstract

Humans are social animals whose well-being is shaped by the ability to attract one another and connect with each other. To determine what drives attraction, we measured the physiological dynamics between people during real-life dating interactions outside the laboratory, where it is most relevant. Participants wore eye-tracking glasses with embedded cameras, and devices to measure physiological signals including heart rate and skin conductance. We demonstrate that females were more expressive than males, while males looked longer at females. Crucially, visible signals that can be controlled, such as facial expressions or gaze, did not predict attraction. Instead, attraction was predicted by synchrony in heart rate and skin conductance between partners, which is unconscious and difficult to regulate. Our findings suggest that shared emotionality is vital for mutual attraction. Moreover, physiological synchrony may provide a medium for translating visible expressions into embodied emotions, which can turn into intentions via somatosensory simulation.

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Posted August 29, 2019.
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The choreography of human attraction: physiological synchrony in a blind date setting
E. Prochazkova, E. E. Sjak-Shie, F. Behrens, D. Lindh, M. E. Kret
bioRxiv 748707; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748707
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The choreography of human attraction: physiological synchrony in a blind date setting
E. Prochazkova, E. E. Sjak-Shie, F. Behrens, D. Lindh, M. E. Kret
bioRxiv 748707; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/748707

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