Heurékamen synchairomen! Experiencing the Synchrony Effects in Participant-Oriented Performances

Study explores the relationship between contemporary participatory performances and prosocial behaviour, focusing on the impact of shared experiences such as communal consumption, walking, dancing, and collaborative creation. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights from cognitive science, religious studies, and social psychology, the research investigates how such performances foster social cohesion and trust among participants. Through empirical observations, the study highlights the potential of synchronised group activities to increase prosocial tendencies, with lasting effects on communication and behaviour beyond the performance itself. This type of shared experience is evocative of the shared exclamation of participants in ancient mysteries, Heurékamen synchairomen!, literally “We have found it – together we rejoice!” – marking the ritual moment when profound sorrow transforms into communal joy (Dostálová – Hošek 1997: 170). The findings of the study suggest a link between synchrony and enhanced group unity, supported by neurochemical processes such as the release of beta-endorphins. The findings also highlight the potential of such performances to address contemporary challenges, including loneliness, digital anxiety, and declining empathy, fostering a sense of connection and community, while offering participants an experience of a certain form of transcendence.