Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Neural synchrony, or correlated neural activity across interacting individuals, scales with relationship quality in humans, yet how it evolves during social bond formation remains unknown. Using fiber photometry in monogamous prairie voles, we track prefrontal cortex synchrony across pair bond formation. Bonded voles show stronger synchrony with partners than strangers, mirroring human findings. A linear mixed model reveals that synchrony is jointly shaped by bond strength, inter-animal distance, and time since interaction onset, with relationship type modulating how each factor contributes. Using a machine-learning behavioral classification pipeline we developed for freely interacting voles, we demonstrate that the coupling between specific behaviors and synchrony depends on the nature of the dyadic relationship. These findings establish that neural synchrony is not a simple function of proximity or interaction time but is fundamentally shaped by relationship history-a conclusion with direct implications for understanding the synchrony in human social attachment.
Institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, Northwestern University
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7154646677
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