Researchers tested how the rhythm of our communication can influence our problem-solving. The participants were divided into three groups.

• Groups with continuous interaction had a good average performance, but the team members tended to conform to mediocre solutions.
• People working independently didn't have the opportunity to benefit from other's solutions.
• The intermittent communication group was the best of both worlds. They could build on the diversity of the ideas that were created independently.

In a 2015 study, researchers found that more communication in a group results in the team members quickly converging on a consensus without really exploring alternatives.

In less well-connected groups, team members suffered a bit with information gathering but were less likely to reach a c...