Blurring of self-other boundaries is associated with awe and social bonding in an art ritual performance

This study explores how collective ritual events can induce social bonding through the blurring of self-other boundaries, a phenomenon often associated with awe and self-transcendence. Building on insights from ritual studies, social bonding, and body ownership illusions, we designed an experiment where participants engaged in an art performance titled ‘MASS’. This performance involved dancers moving in synchrony or in-canon behind and next to a pair of seated participants, creating a ‘mirror fusion’ effect that blurred the boundaries between the two participants. The results show that experiencing a synchronous performance induces more self-other boundary blurring than an in-canon performance, and self-other boundary blurring significantly predicts the experience of awe and an increase in bonding with the other participant. These findings suggest that art performances induce social bonding effects typically observed in religious rituals, highlighting the role of synchrony and awe in inducing cohesion during collective experiences. This study contributes to the understanding of the embodied mechanisms of collective effervescence.