Interpersonal physiological entrainment is increasingly argued
to underlie rapport, empathy and even team performance. We
investigate the presence, temporal development, possible
mechanisms and impact of interpersonal heart rate
entrainment during collective creative LEGO construction
tasks. We observe a statistically significant presence and
increase over time of structured entrainment, which relates to
the actual unfolding and development of behavioral
coordination. Heart rate entrainment does not predict rapport
and perceived group competence, but behavioral coordination
does. Physiological entrainment, thus, should not be
considered a universal unmediated proxy for shared emotions,
empathy and collective performance. Behavioral coordination
– at least in tasks requiring forms of joint action – seems to be
a more informative proxy for both physiological entrainment
and collective experience.