Yawning is contagious

Yawning is contagious - but not always

08/12/2011

As researchers from the University of Pisa recently found during a study, yawning is all the more contagious the higher the emotional attachment to the other person is. People with disorders such as autism and small children do not allow themselves to be yawn because they lack the capacity for empathy.

Emotional closeness is crucial for contagious yawning
The researchers around Elisabetta Palagi watched 109 adults in their usual environment for one year. They deliberately examined women and men from different continents, including Asia, Africa and North America. The scientists evaluate 480 actions exactly. This included the angle from which yawning was observed.

The result of the investigations was the same for all women and men: the emotional proximity to a person has a decisive influence on the unconscious imitation of yawning. This is most pronounced among family members, closely followed by friends and most recently by strangers. Social bonding is more important than nationality or gender.

The basic requirement is empathy
Empathy is the ability to recognize and respond to other people's emotions, thoughts, intentions and personality traits. Gritli Bertram, psychologist from Hannover, explains: „Empathy is an important pillar of social behavior.“ Empathy is not yet developed for young children. They do not let themselves be infected by yawning. The same applies to people with disorders such as autism. (Ag)

Also read:
Biorhythm suffers from time change
Fatigue as an indication of a disease

Image: Kathi Ray