Tessa WestProfessor of Psychology, New York University · Professor of Psychology, New York University

2021 Thorson InfluencingPhysiologyDecisionsGroups

PDF · 6 Oct 2026

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The article investigates how moment‑to‑moment physiological synchrony (physiological linkage) among members of five‑person groups relates to the success of persuasive attempts and to experimentally assigned social status. In a pilot study (N≈330) the authors validated a status manipulation in which participants received feedback indicating high, middle, or low leadership experience. In the main laboratory study (46 groups, 230 participants) groups performed a collaborative hiring‑firm selection task. One high‑status and one low‑status member were covertly instructed to argue for a specific firm and receive a $5 reward if their firm was chosen. Cardiac inter‑beat intervals (IBI) were recorded continuously; physiological linkage scores were computed as time‑lagged regressions of a sender’s IBI reactivity on a receiver’s subsequent IBI, controlling for the receiver’s own prior IBI. Results showed: (1) groups were more likely to select the firm advocated by the high‑status member; (2) greater physiological linkage from a sender to receivers predicted that the group would decide in the sender’s favor, independent of status; (3) sender status did not affect the magnitude of physiological linkage. The authors conclude that physiological linkage is a novel correlate of successful persuasion in groups, while status alone does not drive linkage. Limitations include the artificial nature of the status manipulation and the need for finer‑grained models of linkage dynamics. Future work should explore how specific communicative behaviors generate linkage and how power‑related status may amplify these effects.