What is Synch.Live

Synch.Live is global project to foster human connection, created and directed by Hillary Leone, and developed in collaboration with research scientists and ever-widening network of international contributors. The core experience is an award-winning, live-action human connection game that takes inspiration from emergent systems in nature like flocking birds and schooling fish. This is emergence: when parts of a system interact, self-organize and become something greater than the sum of their parts.

In Synch.Live, groups of 10-20 players wearing custom LED hats try to synchronize their hat lights, without talking or touching. Unable to see or control their own lights, players must, instead, tune into each other, discover new ways to communicate, self-organize, and tap into the collective rhythm. Leadership is fluid and decisions emerge organically. To date, we have played Synch.Live with 1250+ people in the New York, London, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris and Mallorca.

A global science experiment

Developed with neuroscientists as a framework for the study of human collective behavior, Synch.Live is advancing new science. In a study of nearly 200 players, researchers demonstrate that participants in winning groups report significantly higher connectedness to others, suggesting that collective problem solving through flocking enhances cooperation. Researchers also found that players aware of working strategies were more likely to be part of winning groups, suggesting that individual contributions are an important part of collective action.

Being human together 

Synch.Live offers something rare and urgently needed: a chance to remember what it feels like to be human together. In a world that pulls us apart, it draws us into a collective moment, fortifying belonging, sparking delight, and connecting us to something larger.