The Rhythm of Relating

How Emotional Sharing Emerges from Interpersonal Synchrony in Movements, Physiology, and Neural Activity

When people engage in emotional sharing, they often display the same rhythms in their movements, heart rate, and brain activity. The project investigates how such synchronous rhythms contribute to interpersonal emotion, using complex analyses (i.e., analyzing EEG data, time-frequency analysis, autoregressive modeling, developing brain-computer-interface technology). The project entails both experimental research and research in psychotherapy settings. The results may help make psychotherapy more effective and improve communication, for instance, in close relationships or during negotiations.

Funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research @ Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Dept. of Clinical Psychology

we’re hiring!

we seek 3 PhD candidates to to carry out movement, physiology, and hyperscanning EEG research during face-to-face communication.

** Recent M.A. or M.S. graduates with experience in mobile brain and body imaging and brain-computer-interface technology are especially encouraged to apply. **

The positions are based at the Department of Clinical Psychology at de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and research and training will be realized in collaboration with the Max Planck Center for Language, Music, and Emotion (New York City / Frankfurt), the Max Planck Institute of Empirical Aesthetics (Frankfurt), and Institut Pasteur (Paris) among other institutions (see affiliations below)

>> click here for more info and to apply by October 25, 2019

Team

Sander Koole (PI, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Peter Beek (VU)

John Stins (VU)

Tom Wilderjans (VU | Leiden University | Leuven University)

Wolfgang Tschacher (University of Bern)

Suzanne Dikker (NYU | VU | MPI CLaME)

Guillaume Dumas (Institut Pasteur)

Emily Butler (University of Arizona)

Dana Atzil-Slonim (Bar-Ilan University)