Aligned bodies, united hearts: Embodied emotional dynamics of Islamic Congregational ritual

Ritualized collective gatherings play crucial roles in all human cultures. By promoting social coordination, group cohesion, and norm adherence, they contribute to the maintenance of social order within a given group (Harris 1995). A variety of features may contribute to these effects, from the brandishing of symbolic markers and appeals to tradition to the use of sensory extravagance and the formation of shared memories (Xygalatas 2022). Key among these features is the ability of ritualized collective action to produce emotional alignment through the embodied experience of shared participation. Rather than merely symbolic, the physical actions involved in ritual practice are integral to that experience (Csordas 2002).

A common aspect of these ritual activities across diverse cultures is synchrony, or engaging in similar behaviors in time with others (Konvalinka et al. 2011). Previous research has documented the spontaneous synchronization of emotions in the context of public events (Konvalinka et al. 2011), and such synchrony has been linked to group cohesion (Baranowski-Pinto et al. 2022). Importantly, these effects are believed to have a social basis. For example, people are more likely to mirror the emotional reactions of socially relevant individuals (Xygalatas et al. 2013)  and are more likely to do so in real-life rather than virtual contexts (Baranowski-Pinto et al. 2022). Unsurprisingly, then, collective rituals commonly involve the intentional coordination of behaviors through actions like dancing, chanting, marching, gesturing, or bowing in synchrony. These, in turn, facilitate the alignment of emotions: When people intentionally move as one within their shared sociocultural setting, they feel like one and form stronger social connections (Tarr et al. 2015; Lang et al. 2017; Launay, Tarr, and Dunbar 2016; Miles, Nind, and Macrae 2009; Mogan, Fischer, and Bulbulia 2017). However, how this group-level synchrony is achieved and its underlying mechanisms remains unknown.

In this study, we used the highly synchronous Islamic collective prayer of Salat Salat al Jama'ah to understand mechanism underlying group synchrony. Here, we used wearable monitors to collect data on behavior (i.e., body posture), physiological arousal (i.e., heart rate), and proximity (i.e., distance in space) from both women and men, including the imam, as they engaged in this collective ritual. We recruited 28 participants (14 women, 14 men; Mage = 23.1 years; age range = 18–56 years), among a pool of roughly 250 people who participated in the prayer. We used cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA) and diagonal cross-recurrence profile (DCRP) (Wallot and Leonardi 2018) to assess synchrony, or the temporal coupling of two signals(Palumbo et al. 2017). CRQA is a dynamical analysis used to quantify similarities between two signals as they unfold over time, and DCRP is used to quantify leader-follower dynamics. Unlike linear analyses like cross-correlation, nonlinear approaches like CRQA and DCRP can capture both linear and nonlinear patterns in the data, allowing a fuller modeling of complex physiological phenomena (Carello and Moreno 2005).

We used a series of 5-level factor regressions to analyze the CRQA metrics. Moreover, we used Fourier phase-randomization analysis to create an artificial control group (Kantz and Schreiber 2004; Paxton and Dale 2017; Theiler et al. 1992).

Analyses of the DCRP data revealed a leading dynamic for the imam, who led 96% of participants in posture (tied with one other participant for the highest lead instances), with the most common lag occurring at 2 seconds (mean = 1.65, SD = 1.50). Moreover, linear regression models showed a negative relationship between distance with %REC and %DET (which are synchrony metrics of CRQA) both for the posture and the heart rate data. Moreover, linear mixed models confirmed that these effects were stronger in the true dataset compared to the surrogate data. These aligned with our qualitative data on people’s experience of unity and synchrony in this specific prayer.

Our results suggest that multiple processes may be simultaneously at play, with postural alignment appearing to be more localized and physiological alignment operating on a broader scale. Posturally, worshippers synchronized their movements to their nearest neighbors, in line with previous literature on behavioral mimicry in proximal interaction (Hatfield, Cacioppo, and Rapson 1994). Physiologically, however, the imam appeared to drive overall synchrony by creating a ripple effect in the context of the ritual, which partially supports a structured “leader-follower” dynamic and reflects the central role of the imam during the prayer. In keeping with the idea of the ripple effect, both postural and physiological synchrony were highest among neighbors, highlighting the pivotal role of interpersonal dynamics in ritualistic practices. This alignment in posture and heart-rate may have important social implications, as previous studies suggest that it might be key to social cohesion (Gordon et al. 2020) by promoting trust (Mitkidis et al. 2015), cooperation (Valdesolo, Ouyang, and DeSteno 2010), and prosocial tendencies (Cirelli 2018).

Taken together, corporeal co-presence and spatial alignment appear to facilitate social and physiological alignment within the context of shared intentionality of a community ritual. Importantly, we found that the amount of synchrony differed significantly than what we would expect by chance. This suggests that the observed effects cannot be solely attributable to a single factor, like engaging in similar sequences of movements: Rather, these patterns grow out of both the structure of the prayer and the shared setting in which it occurs. Thus, synchronization is influenced not only by the specific structure and sequence of the prayer but also by the position of other prayers, the imam, and moment-by-moment interactions between them.

Why is this a good fit?

Our research offers a fresh perspective on the study of religious rituals, departing from brain-centric approaches to embrace the 4E cognitive framework. We highlight the interplay of bodily movements, shared spaces, and social connections.

Leveraging wearable technology, we captured synchronous movements and heart-rate activity during Islamic prayer in its natural setting, something not possible in previous brain-focused studies. Our analysis revealed embodied mechanisms driving social cohesion and well-being in this specific context.

Our findings shed light on how collective prayer functions as an extended cognitive system, where participants' bodies and the surrounding environment become integral parts of the experience.