489 Examining the clinical utility of dance to support social connection - Explorations at the level of the brain, heart, and body

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Social isolation/loneliness is a public health crisis and one that is unlikely to be solved through pharmacology. Nonpharmacological approaches, such as dance, are needed. The objective of this study is to investigate the physiological correlates of dance-induced improvements in social connection. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Participants were randomly assigned to participate for 4 weeks (2 times per week, 90-minute sessions) in either 1) improvisational dance training (experimental group; n=7); or a 2) dance movie watching experience (control group; n=7). Before and after the intervention, using mobile brain-body imaging techniques, participants and their instructor had their brain (via electroencephalography) and body physiology (via photoplethysmography) recorded during a series of verbal and nonverbal interactive experiences. Participants were also video recorded via 4 surrounding cameras for later motion capture analysis. Neuropsychological assessments were also conducted before and after the intervention. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We found that dance significantly increased social skills including empathy, interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, mindfulness, and attention. Additionally, we found that dance significantly increased interbrain synchrony during nonverbal experiences including theta (4-8 Hz), beta (12-35 Hz), and gamma (35-45 Hz) frequencies in the occipital lobe. Increases in interbrain synchrony were also positively correlated with increases in empathy. Additionally, intercardiac synchrony between the participant and instructor showed a significant correlation at post-intervention only. Future investigations will focus on the relationship between interbrain, intercardiac, and movement synchrony. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings support the idea that dance increases interpersonal synchrony at the level of the brain, heart, and behavior. Understanding the neural and somatic mechanisms of social behaviors will help promote understanding and development of interventions for the critical problem of social isolation and loneliness.