Humans may not be the only ones to find yawning contagious.
According to research published recently, a yawn is likely to set off pets as well as those around you.
Psychologists found that dogs were far more likely to break into a yawn if they witnessed humans simulating the action.
Atsushi Senju, who led the study at Birkbeck, University of London, said dogs’ ability to catch yawns suggests they may be better at empathising with humans than previously thought.
Yawns improve blood flow in the brain and boost alertness, but why they should be contagious is less well understood.
Some scientists argue that the ability to catch yawns arose in early humans because it helped to keep tiring groups alert, or signalled when it was time to rest.
In the latest research, Senju’s team recruited 29 pet owners and their dogs — Labradors, Border collies, Yorkshire terriers and Dobermanns.
Each dog sat through two tests. In the first, scientists simulated a loud, vocal yawn every time the dog made eye contact. In the control tests, scientists opened their mouths, without making a noise.
“None of the dogs in the control group yawned. We know contagious yawning is linked to empathy, so it may mean dogs can empathise well with humans, but we need to do more tests to be sure,” he said.
While it is possible the dogs were simply copying the yawning movement, Senju said it was unlikely because dogs usually need to be trained to copy human actions.
“Copying would actually be more difficult than yawning,” he said. —