Behavioral synchrony in adult animals – does it reduce stress?

I first became interested in behavioral synchrony when studying red colobus monkeys. I hypothesized that innovative behavior would be less likely to occur the more synchronized the activity of individuals in groups was, that is, if nearest neighbors’ activities were synchronized. I viewed innovation as opposite of synchronization, attributing behavioral synchrony to less intelligent mammals – as imitation and copying are often viewed. The more behaviorally flexible a species, the more innovation is expected, and therefore, less synchronization – right? Well, I’ve recently began to re-think this after conversations with a friend, a well-being psychologist. He described the benefits he gets from going dancing – not just from physical contact with the opposite sex – but the synchronized nature of the activity. When we practice yoga in a class, synchronizing our poses is emphasized. We move together. We also value synchronization when looking at others – at a stage of ballerinas for instance – the more talented the dancers, the more perfect their synchrony, their perfectly timed coordination of movement. Is there a health benefit, a reduction in stress, that we experience following an hour or so of synchronized movement or behavior (relative to asynchronized movement)? Does this tap into some fundamental need we have to be in sync with our neighbors, our conspecifics, our group members? Is the western world’s emphasis on autonomy so strong that we must seek synchronization in organized classes of dance or yoga amidst the insular chaos of our daily lives? What exactly do we get out of being in synchrony with other people? Non-human primate groups must move together to capitalize on the benefits of social grouping in the first place - it is to an individuals’ advantage to feed when others feed, to rest when others rest. Behavioral synchrony appears to be consistent with optimal foraging theory. Does behavioral synchrony necessarily exclude innovative behavior or make it less likely?