11th
A susceptibility to contagious yawning may actually be a sign of a high-level of social empathy.
Although many species yawn, only some humans and possibly their close animal relatives find yawning infectious, suggesting the reason is psychological.
The research was presented at the British Association’s Festival of Science in York.
“Contagious yawning is a very interesting behaviour,” said Dr Catriona Morrison, a lecture in psychology at the University of Leeds, who is leading the work.
“You don’t need a visual cue, you don’t even need an auditory cue - you can just read about it or think about it and it gets you going.
“We believe that contagious yawning indicates empathy. It indicates an appreciation of other people’s behavioural and physiological state,” she added.