Cultural echoes in social bonding: Universal and culture-specific effects of movement synchrony and music on connectedness, likeability, and well-being

Social bonds are essential for well-being, and moving together to music is a universal means of promoting prosocial behavior and positive affect. However, the functions and interpretations of movement synchrony and music can vary across cultures and may depend on personal values. We examined how interpersonal synchrony and music affect social bonding in participants from individualistic (Denmark, N = 137) and collectivistic (China, N = 226) cultures. Participants watched videos of virtual stick figures - representing themselves (virtual-self) and an unknown person (virtual-other) - moving either synchronously or asynchronously to music or a metronome. After each video, participants rated three indicators of social bonding: their momentary feeling of social connectedness with the virtual-other (Inclusion of Other in the Self, IOS), likeability of the virtual-other, and well-being as the virtual-self. Personal values were measured using the Portrait Value Questionnaire. Music and synchrony promoted all three indicators of social bonding in both cultures, whereas cultural differences emerged in asynchronous conditions. Chinese participants rated the asynchronous virtual-other more likeable than Danish participants, aligning with the collectivistic emphasis on social harmony. Moreover, Chinese participants rated their own well-being higher than Danish participants when the virtual-self moved asynchronously, suggesting greater self-forgiveness in maintaining group harmony. The personal values of benevolence, conformity, and universalism interacted with movement synchrony and cultural background, underscoring the important role of values in interpretations of social interactions. Our findings highlight the universal prosocial effects of music and movement synchrony, while also emphasizing cultural nuances in how these effects are experienced.