Yawning can be a sign of empathy
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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Everyone knows that yawning is contagious. When a person yawns, other people can also respond with a yawn. Until now, it was not known that "transmission of yawning" is more frequent, and quick between close friends, relatives and comrades. The study, conducted by Ivan Nortsia and Elizabetta Palaji from the University of Pisa, presents the first behavioral evidence that infectious yawning can be a form of "emotional infection".
"Depending on the situation, yawning can indicate stress, boredom, fatigue or a signal of activity change, for example, after waking up or before going to bed," says Elizabeth Paladzhi. Infectious yawning is a more "modern" phenomenon, characteristic only of baboons, chimpanzees and humans. It is also inherent in animals with high cognitive abilities, such as dogs. In humans, yawning can be caused by the yawning of the interlocutor within 5 minutes.
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Studies supported by the Italian zoos of Pistoia, Falconara and Lignano, published in Plosone, are based on the collection of behavioral data for more than one year in more than 100 adults, which corresponds to more than 400 "yawning pairs."
People were observed in a variety of natural contexts: during meals, on the train, at work, etc. Observations in Italy and Madagascar attracted people of different nationalities, and with varying degrees of acquaintance: strangers and acquaintances (colleagues and friends of friends), relatives (parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters), comrades.
Statistical analysis based on linear mixed models (Lmm, Glmm) showed that the presence and frequency of "infection" with yawning does not depend on differences in the social context or in the perception of modality. This means that it does not matter if yawning occurs during lunch or at work. Even nationality, age and gender differences do not explain the differences in the "infectiousness of yawning" between people. The study revealed a specific tendency: the rate of the chain reaction of yawning was greatest in response to relatives, friends, acquaintances, and, finally, to strangers. Also, the response (waiting time) or the amount of time needed to respond to someone else's yawn was shorter for friends, relatives and comrades than for strangers.
"The results of this study support several neurobiological mechanisms of previous reports," concludes Elizabetta Palaji. "The results of this study showed that some areas of the brain that are activated during yawning coincide with areas involved in emotional processing, in short, yawning can be a sign of empathy and not necessarily a sign of boredom."