Promoting social connectedness through inter-brain neurofeedback

Humans are inherently driven to build meaningful relationships, but attempts to socially connect with others are not always successful. This study investigates whether social connectedness can be improved by modulating inter-brain coupling, a neural correlate of successful social interactions, through neurofeedback. Using an inter-brain neurofeedback system (i.e., a multi-brain computer interface that provides real-time visualizations of inter-brain coupling between dyad members), we showed dyads real-time visualizations of the extent to which their brainwaves (electroencephalography signals) were “in sync”. Our results showed that, compared to a sham control group, who received feedback based on randomly generated signals, dyads receiving real multi-brain neurofeedback exhibited an increase in inter-brain coupling, and, critically, that this increase was associated with a higher sense of social connectedness. A chain mediation analysis suggested that this experience of enhanced social connectedness may have been driven by a sense of joint control and shared intentionality. Together, our findings demonstrate the potential of inter-brain neurofeedback to modulate inter-brain coupling and to support key components of social connectedness.