Are you in step with your significant other? So-called “Super Synchronizers” are perceived as more attractive to others, according to a new study. This means those who naturally mirror their partners are probably more likely to get asked on a second date.
Physiological synchrony — the alignment of heart rates, breathing patterns, hormone levels and other biological processes between partners — has been previously studied and identified as a key aspect of romantic compatibility. However, a less understood aspect of partner synchronicity is how it occurs and why. The new study aimed to investigate whether synched bodies cause attraction, or if it’s a byproduct of an already forming romantic connection.
Researchers recruited 144 participants to show them a 92-second video featuring a man and a woman on a date, with examples of highly in-sync and out-of-sync interactions. After watching the videos, participants rated the man and woman in the video based on their attractiveness as well as how strongly they seemed to be attracted to each other.
Those who synced best with humans and nonhumans alike tended to receive higher attractiveness scores from their dates than more out-of-sync individuals, and the fact that on-time tappers also synchronize better biologically suggests this trait may influence their attractiveness in a variety of interactions, romantic or otherwise. These folks scientists are now calling Super Synchronizes.
To conclude, Being sensitive to a partner and attuning to them can help promote romantic bonding. This is because synchronized physiological states can improve regulation across various bodily systems, making interactions more fulfilling and suggesting cognitive and evolutionary advantages