====== Contagious Yawning ======

Most people have seen examples of Contagious Yawning in humans. If one person in a group yawns (or convincingly feigns a yawn) it's often quite hard for others to resist. Current estimates are that 40-60% of human yawns are 'contagious'.

Contagious yawing has also been observed and scientifically documented in many other animals including :

  * Chimpanzees
  * Bonobos 
  * Orangutans 
  * Macaque monkeys 
  * Gelada baboons 
  * Wolves 
  * Domestic dogs
  * Rats 
  * Budgerigars
  * Sheep
  * Elephants

Contagious Yawning can also happen //between species//. A team at Birkbeck College, University of London, recently performed the first formal research to document //Trans Species Yawn Contagion//. [ man > dog ] ( Ref.  [[http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/5/446.abstract|Biology Letters]] Volume 4 Issue 5.)

Another recent study, from the Department of Psychology, Hiram College, US, can be found in [[http://www.baillement.com/replication/harr_dogs.html|Animal Cogntion]] {{:oa_padlock_grn.png?16&nolink|Open Access}}12(6):833-837.

There are theories regarding the possible evolutionary advantages to yawn contagion, for example, that contagious yawning may be part of a neural mechanism involved in empathy. ( Ref. [[http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0926641004003222|Cognitive Brain Research]] Volume 23, Issues 2–3 )

But a full explanation is currently lacking.

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Also see [[content:life_sciences:human_body:yawning|Yawning]]