Synchronous Smiles and Hearts: Dyadic Meditations Enhance Closeness and Prosocial Behavior in Virtual and In-Person Settings.

Objectives: Social connection is crucial for well-being and health. Dyadic meditations-contemplative practices carried out by two people together-have the potential to foster connection. In the dyadic "Just-Like-Me" (JLM) meditation, two participants gaze at each other while contemplating sentences emphasizing their shared humanity. We assessed the psychological impacts of this exercise, as well as the underlying mechanisms, by comparing it to two active control conditions: mutual gazing without contemplation and solitary meditation. Method: Study 1 was a virtual study with 55 individuals who formed 100 experimental dyads, whereas Study 2 was an in-person study with 98 participants in 238 dyad pairings. Participants engaged in a 2-min JLM, gazing, or solitary meditation exercise (the latter only in Study 2). We recorded self-reported feelings, decisions on a hypothetical dictator game, facial expressions (Study 1), and heart rates (Study 2). Results: Both JLM and gazing increased closeness with medium-to-large effect sizes both virtually and in person (~ 1 Conclusions: Dyadic meditations, such as JLM and gazing, are effective in promoting closeness and prosocial behavior. Non-verbal and emotional synchrony between meditation partners is a potential mechanism facilitating these benefits. Dyadic meditation practices may contribute to addressing widespread loneliness and enhancing social dimensions of well-being. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-025-02588-7.