Behavioral Grooves Podcast Why Some People Just Click (and Others Don’t) | Maya Rossignac-Milon
Apr 6, 2026
Maya Rossignac-Milon, a researcher of shared reality and interpersonal connection, explores why people sometimes instantly click. She discusses defining shared reality, how off-script authenticity and riffing build alignment, and why these moments matter for meaning and performance at work. Practical examples include riffs, callbacks, and when authenticity succeeds or fails.
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What Shared Reality Really Feels Like
- Shared reality is the felt perception of sharing the same thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about the world with another person.
- Maya Rossignac-Milon shows it's observable in interactional signals like finishing each other's sentences, conversational synchrony, and mutual agreement.
Shared Reality Links To Short-Term Performance
- Moments of shared reality with colleagues predict higher perceived and peer-rated performance on tasks.
- Maya's within-person data shows when people feel more shared reality than usual, teammates also rate their performance higher.
Invite Playful Authenticity At Work
- Encourage spontaneity, playfulness, and modest vulnerability at work to foster authentic, off-script interactions that create shared reality.
- Maya recommends loosening rigid workplace scripts rather than forcing deep disclosures, to invite authenticity.
