The effect of the synchrony experience on product evaluation

Synchrony, the temporal alignment of movements, pervades many aspects of human life. Existing research mostly predicts a positive effect of synchrony on synchronous partners. The current study examines whether this positive effect extends beyond co-performers to include products that are involved in synchronous performance. Drawing from theories of embodied cognition, we propose that individuals’ physical experience of synchrony leads to a more positive evaluation of products that are directly involved in the synchrony experience and that a cognitive state of harmony mediates the positive effect of the synchrony experience on product evaluation. Five experiments provide convergent support for this proposition and the boundary condition of this positive effect. The positive effect of the synchrony experience on product evaluation occurs only for products that are closely related to the synchrony experience.