Social interactions between people of same and different generations shape longitudinal changes in interpersonal neural synchrony, loneliness, and social connection

Loneliness is globally acknowledged as a severe and burgeoning health risk, fueling interest in helping people of all ages form meaningful social connections. One promising approach consists of intergenerational social programs. While behavioral and qualitative evidence derived from such programs promise health and wellbeing benefits, the physiological consequences of repeated intergenerational encounters remain unknown. Insight into physiological changes will shed light on the mechanisms of social connection. We charted longitudinal changes in interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) in 31 intergenerational (older/younger adult) and 30 same-generation (younger adult) dyads across a six-session creative drawing program. At each session, dyads completed self-report measures, drew together and alone, and had their cortical activation recorded with fNIRS. In both groups, INS was greater while dyads drew together than alone. Across sessions, intergenerational dyads' INS decreased and same-generation dyads' INS increased. INS in RIFG~RTPJ and RIFG~RIFG were predictive of loneliness levels and feelings of social closeness, respectively. This exploratory longitudinal research reinforces the multi-faceted nature of INS dynamics as social connections are forged.