Why are Yawns Contagious?

Yathin S Krishnappa, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license.

Yawning is an instantly recognizable behavior found among most vertebrate animals. But there is still a lot that scientists do not know about this seemingly simple phenomenon, including why we can catch yawns from others.

In a new study, researchers investigated the potential functions of contagious yawning by observing groups of lions in the wild. They found that, after being “infected” by others’ yawns, lions tended to coordinate their motor actions. The results suggest that yawn contagion acts to synchronize group activity and help facilitate coordinated behavior.

Read the whole story at National Geographic: Many mammals are contagious yawners - this might be why.