Dr. Suzanne Dikker (New York University, USA): Synchrony in the real world. Connecting brains and disciplines at the interface of science, art and education

Abstract

Neuroscience research has produced tremendous insight into how the human brain supports learning and social dynamics. Still, laboratory-generated findings do not always straightforwardly generalize to real-world environments. In an effort to bring social neuroscience research out of the lab into everyday social contexts, I collaborate with scientists, artists, and educators to (a) conduct hyperscanning research during naturalistic face-to-face communication, and (b) develop inter-brain synchrony neurofeedback applications to boost social engagement. This approach has allowed us to collect data from high school classrooms, thousands of museum visitors, and therapeutic settings. Taken together, I hope to show that this multidisciplinary approach may provide a fruitful avenue to investigate social interactions outside of the laboratory.