Title: Study Shows Disparity in Neural Activity during Face-to-Face Conversations versus Zoom Interactions
Subtitle: Advanced neuroimaging reveals reduced neural signals and less coordinated responses during online exchanges
by Bess Connolly
A recent study conducted by Yale neuroscientist Joy Hirsch has shed light on the significant differences in neural activity between face-to-face conversations and interactions on the popular video conferencing platform, Zoom. Using advanced neuroimaging techniques, researchers observed suppressed neural signals during online exchanges, while in-person discussions showcased heightened brain activity and more coordinated neural responses between participants. These findings emphasize the richness of live social interactions and suggest that current digital representations of faces do not engage our social neural circuits as effectively.
The study employed unique neuroimaging technologies to monitor real-time brain activity during two-person interactions, both in-person and on Zoom. The researchers found that in-person interactions exhibited increased neural activity linked with gaze time, pupil dilation, and enhanced face processing ability. These markers reflect greater arousal and social cue exchange, underscoring the significance of live social engagements. In contrast, neural signaling during online exchanges was substantially suppressed compared to face-to-face conversations, suggesting that Zoom fails to access the brain’s social neural pathways as effectively as in-person interactions.
“In this study, we find that the social systems of the human brain are more active during real live in-person encounters than on Zoom,” stated Hirsch, the senior author of the study. “Zoom appears to be an impoverished social communication system relative to in-person conditions.”
Previous research on brain activity during social interactions has primarily focused on single individuals. However, Hirsch’s lab developed a suite of neuroimaging technologies that allowed them to study interactions between two people in real time and natural settings. For this study, the team recorded neural system responses in individuals engaged in both live, face-to-face interactions and two-person Zoom conversations.
The findings revealed a dramatic reduction in the strength of neural signaling on Zoom in comparison to in-person conversations. Additionally, increased activity was observed among participants in face-to-face conversations, correlated with longer gaze time and larger pupil diameters, indicating heightened arousal. Furthermore, in-person interactions showed enhanced face processing ability and more coordinated neural activity between the brains of individuals engaged in conversation, suggesting increased reciprocal exchanges of social cues.
Hirsch highlighted the importance of live, face-to-face interactions in our natural social behaviors, stating, “Overall, the dynamic and natural social interactions that occur spontaneously during in-person interactions appear to be less apparent or absent during Zoom encounters.” These findings underscore the limitations of current online representations of faces, revealing their insufficient access to the brain’s social neural circuitry.
The study, published in the journal Imaging Neuroscience, contributes to the growing field of social neuroscience research. The research team hopes that further exploration of these neural disparities will lead to the development of improved communication platforms that capture the richness of in-person interactions.
In addition to Joy Hirsch, the co-authors of the study are Nan Zhao, Xian Zhang, J. Adam Noah, and Mark Tiede, all from Yale.
About this social neuroscience research news:
Author: Bess Connolly
Source: Yale
Contact: Bess Connolly – Yale
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: The findings will appear in Imaging Neuroscience