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A cutting-edge conference, titled "Brains and Bodies in Social Interaction, Learning, and Wellbeing," took place on June 11-14, 2024. This four-day event gathered esteemed researchers and enthusiastic scholars from various fields to delve into the complexities of nervous system synchrony within and between individuals, across species, and through various methodological approaches.  

Day 1: Embodiment of Social Interaction Across Species 

The conference kicked off with Prof. Wolfgang Tschacher’s keynote on the embodiment of social interaction moving from spatial behaviour to synchrony. The first thematic session focused on interpersonal synchrony in clinical context, featuring presentations on, for example, the synchronization of brain activity during movie viewing in autism spectrum disorders by Prof. Iiro Jääskeläinen and the physiological synchrony in couple therapy by Anu Tourunen, among others. 

The afternoon thematic session focused on social interaction across species, highlighting Miiamaaria Kujala's insights into the interactions between humans and our best friends, i.e., dogs, and Sonja Koski's exploration of human-horse relationships. A special keynote by Prof. Takefumi Kikusui on human-dog interaction and mutuality delved into the deep bonds between humans and dogs, underscoring the shared emotional and physiological connections. 

Day 2: Language, Learning, and Bodily Synchrony 

The second day started with Prof. Hyeonjeong ´³±ð´Ç²Ô²µâ€™s talk on the role of social interaction in language acquisition The thematic sessions examined various facets of learning and interaction with notable talks including Faisal Channa’s study on generative AI in collaborative learning, and Hector Pijeira-¶Ùí²¹³ú’s research on sympathetic arousal during group learning activities. The afternoon addressed the body and brain in synchrony with presentations by Sanna Lensu on the vagus nerve and Miriam Nokia on optimizing learning through bodily signals. 

Day 3: Bridging Social and Neurophysiological Divides 

Day three opened with Guillaume Dumas’s keynote on multi-brain neuroscience and social neuro-AI. The morning continued with methodological insights into the analysis of coupling between signals, featuring, for example, Jan Kujala’s work on synchrony and causality between neural signals. The afternoon’s focus on psychophysiological measurements presented innovative approaches, such as Santtu ³§±ð¾±±èäÂáä°ù±¹¾± and Jan Wikgren's methods for inducing and measuring stress, and Zhaodong Sun's non-contact physiological signal measurement. 

Day 4: Advanced Methodologies and Future Directions 

The final day explored advanced analysis techniques, with sessions on respiration-brain coupling by Daniel Kluger and computational approaches to brain-body interactions by Ivan Zubarev. The conference concluded with a session on measuring, analyzing, and quantifying interpersonal synchrony, featuring prof. Lauri Parkkonen’s discussion on hyperscanning techniques and Wolfgang Tschacher’s synchrony computation methods. A closing panel discussion offered a vision forward for future research and collaboration. 

Lab Demonstrations 

Attendees also engaged in lab demonstrations showcasing cutting-edge research on synchrony at JYU. Highlights included studies on social perception in naturalistic situations, music and movement, body-brain interaction using TMS, and the unique presence of campus dogs participating in care and reading activities. 

The conference gave a unique opportunity to explore the interplay of brains and bodies in social interaction, learning, and wellbeing, fostering connections and sparking innovations across disciplines.