New publications
Yawning can be a sign of empathy
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
It is well known that yawning is contagious. When a person yawns, other people may respond by yawning too. Until now, it was not known that "yawn transmission" is more frequent and rapid between close friends, relatives and comrades. A study by Ivan Norscia and Elisabetta Palagi of the University of Pisa provides the first behavioral evidence that contagious yawning may be a form of "emotional contagion."
"Depending on the situation, yawning can indicate stress, boredom, fatigue or a signal of a change in activity, for example, after waking up or before going to sleep," says Elizaveta Paladzhi. Contagious yawning is a more "modern" phenomenon, unique to baboons, chimpanzees and humans. It is also characteristic of animals with high cognitive abilities, such as dogs. In humans, yawning can be triggered by the yawn of a conversation partner within 5 minutes.
Read also: Scientists have unraveled the biological meaning of yawning
The research, supported by the Italian zoos Pistoia, Falconara and Lignano, published in PlosONE, is based on the collection of behavioural data over a period of more than one year from more than 100 adults, corresponding to more than 400 "yawning pairs".
People were observed in a variety of natural contexts: while eating, on the train, at work, etc. Observations conducted in Italy and Madagascar involved people of different nationalities and with different levels of familiarity: 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 yawn contagion did not depend on differences in social context or in the perception of modality. This means that it does not matter whether the yawn occurs during lunch or at work. Even nationality, age and gender differences do not explain the differences in yawn contagion between people. The study revealed a specific trend: the speed of the yawn chain reaction was greatest in response to relatives, friends, acquaintances and, finally, strangers. Also, the reaction time (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 Elisabetta Palagi. "The results of this study showed that some of the brain regions that are activated during yawning coincide with areas involved in emotional processing. In short, yawning may be a sign of empathy and not necessarily a sign of boredom."