Dogs may catch yawn to empathize

LONDON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Yawning is contagious in humans, but British scientists say that dogs too can catch a yawn from a human -- as a a rudimentary form of empathy.

Researchers at Birkbeck College, University of London said that the study is the first to demonstrate that human yawns may be contagious to domestic dogs.

Twenty-nine dogs observed a human yawning or making mouth movements -- as the control. Twenty-one dogs yawned when they observed a human yawning, but control mouth movements did not elicit yawning from any of the dogs.

The study, published in the Biology Letters, suggests that the presence of contagious yawning in dogs indicates this phenomenon is not specific to primate species and may indicate that dogs possess the capacity for a rudimentary form of empathy.

Since yawning is known to modulate the levels of arousal, yawn contagion may help coordinate dog–human interaction and communication.

However, understanding the mechanism as well as the function of contagious yawning between humans and dogs requires more detailed investigation, the researchers said.