Moderate higher-order interactions enhance stability while preserving basin structure

Synchronization is a ubiquitous phenomenon in complex systems. The Kuramoto model serves as a paradigmatic framework for understanding how coupled oscillators achieve collective rhythm. Conventional approaches focus on pairwise interactions, but real-world systems frequently involve higher-order couplings among multiple elements. Previous studies have shown that higher-order interactions enrich dynamics but generally shrink the attraction basin of synchronized states, making synchronization harder to achieve. Here, we demonstrate this picture is incomplete. Through systematic analysis of twisted states on ring networks, we identify a moderate coupling regime where higher-order interactions enhance stability while preserving basin structure. Within this regime, the relative distribution among twisted states remains nearly constant, yet quasipotential barriers systematically deepen as coupling strengths increase. By measuring mean first passage times, we show both pairwise and higher-order couplings contribute synergistically to enhance stability, consistent with large deviation theory. The effects of system size, coupling radius, and frequency heterogeneity are also examined. These findings provide new insights into the role of higher-order interactions in synchronization. • Moderate higher-order interactions preserve basin structure while enhancing stability through energetic changes rather than geometric reorganization. • Basin analysis reveals that moderate triadic coupling maintains the relative distribution among twisted states, avoiding the basin shrinkage observed under strong coupling. • Mean first passage time measurements quantify stability enhancement, showing exponential scaling consistent with Freidlin–Wentzell large deviation theory. • Quasipotential landscape analysis demonstrates that pairwise and triadic couplings synergistically deepen potential wells, with stability decreasing for higher winding number states. • Our findings distinguish geometric stability (basin structure) from energetic stability (barrier depth), complementing the “deeper but smaller” paradigm by identifying conditions where basins deepen without shrinking.