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The Courtship Dance: Patterns of Nonverbal Synchronization in Opposite-Sex Encounters

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Abstract

This study examines the existence of behavioral correlates of synchronization on different levels of analysis and methods. We were unable to demonstrate a relation between synchronization defined in terms of movement echo or position mirroring and subjective experience of pleasure and interest in opposite-sex encounters. Significant results were found for a phenomenon we describe as hierarchically patterned synchronization. These patterns were identified with the help of a newly developed search algorithm. If a female is interested in a male, highly complex patterns of behavior with a constant time structure emerge. The patterns are pair-specific and independent from behavioral content. This rhythmic structure of interactions is discussed in functional terms of human courtship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, A-1090, Vienna, Austria

    Karl Grammer

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  1. Karl Grammer
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  2. Kirsten B. Kruck
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  3. Magnus S. Magnusson
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Grammer, K., Kruck, K.B. & Magnusson, M.S. The Courtship Dance: Patterns of Nonverbal Synchronization in Opposite-Sex Encounters. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 22, 3–29 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022986608835

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