{"id":76952,"date":"2025-05-19T02:01:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T06:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=76952"},"modified":"2025-05-19T02:01:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T06:01:13","slug":"does-a-collective-mind-exist-the-science-behind-neural-synchronization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/does-a-collective-mind-exist-the-science-behind-neural-synchronization\/","title":{"rendered":"Does a collective mind exist? The science behind neural synchronization"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Science fiction has already flirted with an idea as disturbing as it is fascinating: the possibility of sharing thoughts and emotions. For example, in\u00a0<\/span>X-Men<\/span><\/em>\u00a0, Professor Charles Xavier uses his ”\u00a0<\/span>Cerebro<\/span><\/a>\u00a0” machine to detect mutants all over the planet and speak to them telepathically. And in\u00a0<\/span>Avatar<\/span><\/em>\u00a0, the\u00a0<\/span>Na’vi<\/span><\/a>\u00a0connect with Eywa (something similar to a collective consciousness) through the biological network on the moon Pandora to transmit feelings to each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

But there are also less friendly versions. The Mind Flayer in\u00a0<\/span>Stranger Things<\/span><\/em>\u00a0controls the rest of the Upside-Down creatures through a\u00a0<\/span>hive mind<\/span><\/a>\u00a0. And in\u00a0<\/span>Game of Thrones<\/span><\/em>\u00a0, the Night King controls thousands of\u00a0<\/span>White Walkers<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with a very “bad vibe . “<\/span><\/p>\n

A shared reality<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It turns out that real science has been based on science fiction and has been “following the white rabbit” to explore,\u00a0<\/span>since 2002<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, whether our brains can synchronize. Dutch neuroscientist\u00a0<\/span>Suzzane Dikker<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a leading figure in this field. But it was psychoanalyst Carl Jung who introduced the concept of ”\u00a0<\/span>synchronicity<\/span><\/a>\u00a0” into clinical practice (whose interpretations, paradoxically,\u00a0<\/span>are far removed from science<\/span><\/a>\u00a0).<\/span><\/p>\n

Since studying a single human brain\u00a0<\/span>is not enough<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to fully understand the neural mechanisms that underpin our social behaviors,\u00a0<\/span>several investigations<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have adopted an approach based on the dynamic interaction between multiple brains: so-called\u00a0<\/span>second-person neuroscience<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of this perspective is\u00a0<\/span>hyperscanning<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, a methodology that allows the brain activity of two or more people to be recorded as they interact with each other (similar to that used to train\u00a0<\/span>Jaeger<\/span><\/em>\u00a0robot pilots in the film\u00a0<\/span>Pacific Rim<\/span><\/em><\/a>\u00a0).<\/span><\/p>\n

Thus, it has been shown that brains can coordinate as if they were acting in unison. This synchronicity, while opening new avenues for understanding\u00a0<\/span>social interaction disorders<\/span><\/a>\u00a0such as\u00a0<\/span>autism<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>various psychiatric disorders<\/span><\/a>\u00a0, is not a superpower. Some call it connection,\u00a0<\/span>feeling<\/span><\/em>\u00a0, chemistry, etc., and even those who attribute it to pseudoscientific beliefs such as “energies” or “cosmic vibrations.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, synchrony is an\u00a0inherent capacity of the<\/a>\u00a0human brain. It has been proven that neurons located in equivalent brain regions in two people fire simultaneously.<\/p>\n

So the question arises: would it be unreasonable to talk about a collective mind? For now, we can scientifically confirm that ”\u00a0being on the same wavelength<\/a>\u00a0” turns out to be more than just an expression. Get some popcorn ready.<\/p>\n

Hyperscanning the brain<\/strong><\/h4>\n

One\u00a0method used in second-person neuroscience is functional near-infrared spectroscopy ( <\/a>fNIRS<\/a>\u00a0) hyperscanning\u00a0. This noninvasive technique offers\u00a0several advantages for cognitive neuroscience<\/a>\u00a0compared\u00a0to other modalities used for hyperscanning. For example, it doesn’t require the subject to remain still, as <\/a>MRI<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0magnetoencephalography<\/a>\u00a0do\u00a0; and it has better motion tolerance than\u00a0EEG<\/a>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

fNIRS simultaneously records the external neural activity of two or more people as they interact in real time. To do this, everyone involved is fitted with a\u00a0device<\/a>\u00a0with multiple sources and detectors, with the goal of “mind-reading” (like the\u00a0Sorting Hat<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0Harry Potter<\/em>\u00a0, but with a technological twist). It’s usually a cap attached to the scalp.<\/p>\n

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fNIRS neuroimaging system. Wikimedia Commons , CC BY<\/p><\/div>\n

The device<\/a>\u00a0records changes in blood oxygenation while the subjects perform a task, emitting a continuous wave of infrared light and measuring the\u00a0resulting<\/a>\u00a0light intensity . Since the areas that absorb the most light are those with the highest oxygenated hemoglobin, this is taken as an indication of greater neuronal activity.<\/p>\n

Thus, similar conclusions have been obtained in multiple contexts:<\/p>\n