Yawn Contagion Research Articles

Beware! Different methods lead to divergent results on yawn contagion modulation in bonobos.

Contagious yawning (CY)-linked to physiological synchronization and possibly emotional contagion-occurs when one individual's yawn induces yawning in others. CY was investigated over different time windows (minutes from the triggering stimulus) via naturalistic or experimental studies (using real and video yawns, respectively) with contrasting results, especially in bonobos. We verified whether in bonobos result divergences may derive from different methods. We gathered yawning data on 13 bonobos at Twycross Zoo (UK) via a naturalistic (all-occurrences observations) and experimental approach (by showing yawn/control video stimuli). Based on literature, we used 1- and 3-min windows to detect CY. Due to fission-fusion management, individuals could form permanent or non-permanent associations (more/less familiar subjects under naturalistic setting). Video yawn stimuli may come from group mates/stranger models (more/less familiar subjects under the experimental setting). Stimulus type and time window affected CY modulating factors but not CY detection. Familiarity and age effect on CY showed opposite trends in 3-min trials and 1-min observations. CY was highest in oldest, non-permanently (rather than permanently) associated subjects in the naturalistic setting, but in the youngest subjects and with ingroup (rather than outgroup) models in trials. The age effect differences on CY might be due to decontextualized yawns and immature subject curiosity toward videos. The reversed familiarity effect suggests CY's context-dependent function in promoting social synchronization with socially distant group mates, as failing to coordinate as a group may lead to social disruption. Complementary methods are needed to fully understand motor replication phenomena.

More than a simple fixed action pattern: Yawning in drills

In the last decade, increasing attention has been devoted to exploring some aspects of yawning in non-human animals. With their chin red mark, bony paranasal swellings, male large brains and long canines, drills (Mandrillus leucophaeus) offer a robust model for testing hypotheses on the phenomenon. We identified two yawn variants (covered, YCT and uncovered teeth, YUCT) which differ in terms of recruitment of muscular action units (AUs). We tested the effects of several variables (sex, dominance rank, context) on the duration of the yawn and the probability of YCT or YUCT occurrence. We found that males performed longer and more YUCT than females. These findings support the Brain Cooling Hypothesis suggesting that those species showing large brains tend to display larger and longer yawns. We also tested the State Changing Hypothesis predicting the presence of a temporal association of yawning and ongoing behavioral transitions. A sequential analysis revealed that after 30 s following a yawn, drills were significantly more likely to change their behavioral state. Through the observation of yawning, conspecifics might gain knowledge of impending state changes. Seeing other’s yawns increased the probability of a similar response in the observers, thus suggesting the presence of yawn contagion in drills. Although the dataset needs to be expanded, our findings indicate that yawning is variable in drills, it can be associated with subjects’ state changes, and the imminent shifts can be perceived/processed by conspecifics.Graphical

Contagious yawning in African painted dogs.

Contagious yawning (CY), which is yawning elicited by sensing another yawning, has been observed only in social species and is considered linked to high sociality. Although this idea-the social communication hypothesis-is supported by previous studies, investigating the occurrence of CY in various species remains necessary. We investigated the occurrence of CY in one of the most social canine species, the African painted dog (Lycaon pictus). We recorded 1387 yawn events from five pairs (10 individuals) in captivity. Temporal analysis showed that subsequent yawns occurred frequently within 15s or 30s after spontaneous yawns (SYs). SYs that were detectable by another individual (i.e., visible to the other individual or performed in close proximity) were more likely to elicit subsequent yawns by the other individual. However, the influence of contextual factors on CY differed according to the time window, implying that a conservative time window should be used to reduce overcounting of CY and misattribution of its determinants. The proportion of CY was positively related to time spent in physical proximity to another, a proxy for a social bond. Overall, our results provide the first evidence of CY in African painted dogs and further support the notion that such behavior is prevalent among social animals. They also strongly imply that an appropriate time window should be used to define yawn contagion.

Yawning informs behavioural state changing in wild spotted hyaenas

Yawning is a complex behaviour linked to several physiological (e.g. drowsiness, arousal, thermoregulation) and social phenomena (e.g. yawn contagion). Being yawning an evolutionary well-conserved, fixed action pattern widespread in vertebrates, it is a valuable candidate to test hypotheses on its potential functions across the different taxa. The spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), the most social and cooperative species of the Hyaenidae family, is a good model to test hypotheses on yawning correlates and significances. Through an accurate sequential analysis performed on a group of wild hyaenas, we found that yawning mainly occurred during an imminent behavioural state changing in both juveniles and adults and that seeing others’ yawn elicited a mirror response in the receiver, thus demonstrating that yawn contagion is present in this species. These results taken together suggest that yawning is linked to a behavioural state change of the yawner and that such change is caught by the observers that engage in a motor resonance phenomenon, yawn contagion, possibly effective in anticipating yawners’ motor actions. Although additional data are necessary to verify whether yawn contagion translates into subsequent motor convergence and alignment, our data suggest that both spontaneous and contagious yawning can be fundamental building blocks on the basis of animal synchronisation in highly social and cooperative species.Significant statementYawning is pervasive in many animal species, including humans. It is considered as a polyfunctional cue that has a role in regulating social interactions. While several studies focussed on yawning functions in primates, a little amount of effort was devoted to exploring this behaviour in social carnivores. We monitored a group of wild spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta), which is one of the most cooperative carnivore species. In both immature and adult subjects, we found that a subject frequently changed its behavioural state after spontaneously yawning and that seeing others’ yawn elicited a mirror response in the observer. Although additional data are necessary to verify whether yawn contagion translates into subsequent motor convergence and alignment, our data suggest that both spontaneous and contagious yawning can be fundamental building blocks on the basis of animal synchronisation in highly social and cooperative species.

Interspecific Contagious Yawning in Humans

Contagious yawning, or the reflexive tendency to yawn following the detection of yawning in others, is well-documented among humans and a growing number of social vertebrates. While the most common form of yawn contagion occurs between conspecifics, some non-human animals in captivity have been reported to yawn in response to yawns from human handlers/caregivers. The current research sought to provide the first formal investigation of whether people yawn contagiously in response to yawns from non-human animals. In addition, this study aimed to test whether this response was modulated by phylogenetic relatedness and domestication/social closeness. A total of 296 participants from Amazon Mechanical Turk self-reported on their yawning behavior following exposure to a (1) control (non-yawning) condition or a compilation of yawning stimuli either from (2) fish, (3) amphibians, (4) reptiles, (5) birds, (6) non-primate mammals, (7) apes, or (8) domesticated cats and dogs. The results provide strong support for interspecific yawn contagion. However, neither the propensity to yawn (binary) nor total yawn frequency varied significantly across interspecific conditions. Overall, these findings suggest that the mechanisms governing yawn contagion can be activated by varied forms of yawning stimuli, including those from distantly related and unfamiliar species.

Familiarity modulates both intra- and interspecific yawn contagion in red-capped mangabeys

Yawn contagion (YC) is, compared to spontaneous yawning, an evolutionary recent phenomenon probably linked to behavioral synchronization in highly social species that is more likely when it involves familiar subjects. Here, we investigate for the first time in monkeys which factors modulate intra- and interspecific YC. Through an experimental approach, we exposed 17 red-capped mangabeys to video stimuli (Yawn vs Control) depicting familiar/unfamiliar red-capped mangabeys and humans, and unfamiliar hamadryas. We found that mangabeys yawned more often in response to Yawn than Control videos independently from the species depicted, demonstrating both intra- and interspecific YC in the tested species. Moreover, both mangabey and human familiar yawning stimuli evoked a stronger yawning response in the subjects compared to the unfamiliar counterparts. Neither the amount of time spent looking frontally at the screen (probability of stimulus perception) nor the levels of self-directed behaviors (a proxy of anxiety) accounted for the results. In conclusion, we provide the first evidence that in non-human primate familiarity modulates both intra- and inter-specific YC. Stimuli emitted by familiar faces somehow ease the mechanisms underlying YC, and this modulation can also apply to heterospecific subjects when previous shared experiences provide the prerequisites for the development of social bonds.

No Evidence for Contagious Yawning in Juvenile Ravens (Corvus corax): An Observational Study.

Simple SummaryResearch suggests that contagious yawning evolved to synchronize activity and vigilance within groups. To date, yawning has shown to be contagious in a wide range of mammalian species, including humans, great apes, some monkey species, domesticated dogs and pigs, wolves, lions, and rats. However, yawn contagion has only been previously documented in one bird species: budgerigars (Melosittacus undulatus). Here, we sought to examine whether yawning was contagious among juvenile common ravens (Corvus corax). By observing two small and undisturbed captive groups, we also assessed the contagious nature of other frequently observed and potentially contagious behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. Overall, we found no evidence for behavioral contagion. Given the limitations to the observational methods, however, we suggest future experimental research be conducted to support these findings.The overt and reflexive matching of behaviors among conspecifics has been observed in a growing number of social vertebrates, including avian species. In general, behavioral contagion—such as the spread of yawning—may serve important functions in group synchronization and vigilance behavior. Here, we performed an exploratory study to investigate yawn contagion among 10 captive juvenile ravens (Corvus corax), across two groups. Using observational methods, we also examined the contagiousness of three other distinct behaviors: stretching, scratching, and shaking. A total of 44 20 min observations were made across both groups, including 28 in the morning and 16 in the afternoon. The time and occurrence of all the behaviors from each bird were coded, and the temporal pattern of each behavior across both groups was then analyzed to assess the degree of social contagion. Overall, we found no evidence for contagious yawning, stretching, scratching, or shaking. However, yawns were relatively infrequent per observation (0.052 ± 0.076 yawns/bird) and thus experimental methods should be used to support this finding.

Yawn contagion in bonobos: Another group, another story.

In primates, yawn contagion (the yawning response elicited by others' yawn) is variably influenced by individual (e.g., sex, age) and social factors (e.g., familiarity) and possibly linked to interindividual synchronization, coordination, and emotional contagion. Two out of three studies on yawn contagion in bonobos (Pan paniscus), found the presence of the phenomenon with mixed results concerning the effect of familiarity and no replication on its modulating factors. To address this puzzling issue, we recorded all occurrences data on yawn contagion in a captive bonobo group (March–June 2021; 18 individuals; La Vallée des Singes, France). Contrary to chimpanzees and humans, the number of triggering yawns increased contagion, possibly owing to a higher stimulus threshold. This aspect may explain the interindividual variability observed in yawn contagion rates. In subjects under weaning, we did not detect yawn contagion and, as it occurs in certain human cohorts, yawn contagion declined with age, possibly due to reduced sensitivity to others. Females responded more than males and elicited more responses from females when showing sexual swelling. As reproductive females are central in bonobo society, our results support the hypothesis that—as in other Hominini—the most influential sex can influence yawn contagion. The relationship quality (measured via grooming/play) did not affect yawn contagion, possibly due to bonobos' xenophilic nature. Overall, this study confirms the presence of yawn contagion in bonobos and introduces new elements on its modulating factors, pointing toward the necessity of cross‐group studies.

People that score high on psychopathic traits are less likely to yawn contagiously

Considerable variation exists in the contagiousness of yawning, and numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the proximate mechanisms involved in this response. Yet, findings within the psychological literature are mixed, with many studies conducted on relatively small and homogeneous samples. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend upon research suggesting a negative relationship between psychopathic traits and yawn contagion in community samples. In the largest study of contagious yawning to date (N = 458), which included both university students and community members from across 50 nationalities, participants completed an online study in which they self-reported on their yawn contagion to a video stimulus and completed four measures of psychopathy: the primary and secondary psychopathy scales from the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRPS), the psychopathy construct from the Dirty Dozen, and the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale (PPTS). Results support previous findings in that participants that yawned contagiously tended to score lower on the combined and primary measures of psychopathy. That said, tiredness was the strongest predictor across all models. These findings align with functional accounts of spontaneous and contagious yawning and a generalized impairment in overall patterns of behavioral contagion and biobehavioral synchrony among people high in psychopathic traits.

First evidence of yawn contagion in a wild monkey species

Yawn contagion occurs when individuals yawn in response to the yawn of others (triggers). This is the first account of yawn contagion in wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada), a monkey species that shows yawn contagion in captivity and is organized in core units (one-male/bachelor groups) forming multilevel associations. In a population of geladas from the Kundi plateau (Ethiopia) we found that the yawning response was highest when geladas could perceive a triggering yawn, which confirms that yawn contagion is present in the wild. Yawn duration, mouth-opening degree and presence/absence of vocalisation (possibly modulating yawn detectability) did not affect the likelihood of contagion. Males and females, known to be both implicated in movement initiation within groups, were similarly powerful as yawn triggers. Instead, group membership and responder sex had a significant role in shaping the phenomenon. Yawn contagion was highest between individuals belonging to different core units and males were most likely to respond to others’ yawns. Because males have a non-negligible role in inter-group coordination, our results suggest that yawn contagion may have a communicative function that goes beyond the basic unit level.

Yawning Is More Contagious in Pregnant Than Nulliparous Women

Contrary to spontaneous yawning, which is widespread in vertebrates and probably evolutionary ancient, contagious yawning—yawning triggered by others’ yawns—is considered an evolutionarily recent phenomenon, found in species characterized by complex sociality. Whether the social asymmetry observed in the occurrence of contagious yawning is related to social and emotional attachment and may therefore reflect emotional contagion is a subject of debate. In this study we assessed whether yawn contagion was enhanced in pregnant women, a cohort of subjects who develop prenatal emotional attachment in preparation for parental care, via hormonal and neurobiological changes. We predicted that if yawn contagion underlies social and emotional attachment, pregnant women would be more likely to contagiously yawn than nonpregnant, nulliparous women of reproductive age. We gathered data in two different settings. In the experimental setting, 49 women were exposed to video stimuli of newborns either yawning or moving their mouth (control) and we video-recorded the women during repeated trials to measure their yawning response. In the naturalistic setting, 131 women were observed in a social environment and their yawning response was recorded. We tested the factors influencing the yawning response, including the reproductive status (pregnant vs. not pregnant). In both settings, yawn contagion occurred significantly more in pregnant than nonpregnant women. By showing that pregnant women were most likely to respond to others’ yawns, our results support the hypothesis that the social variation observed in yawn contagion may be influenced by emotional attachment and that yawning in highly social species might have been coopted for emotional contagion during evolution.

Yawn contagion promotes motor synchrony in wild lions, Panthera leo

Yawning, a fixed action pattern, is widespread in almost all vertebrate taxa. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the functions of yawning. These hypotheses, not mutually exclusive, can be conventionally arranged according to both physiological (e.g. drowsiness hypothesis: yawning when switching between sleep and being awake; arousal hypothesis: yawning in contexts of high social tension) and social communicative domains (e.g. contagion hypothesis, activity synchronization hypothesis). Owing to their high social cohesion and synchronized group activity, wild lions are a good model to investigate both spontaneous yawning from the physiological domain and, possibly, contagious yawning, from the social communicative domain. We videorecorded two groups of lions in the Makalali Reserve (Limpopo region, South Africa) and analysed their yawning behaviour. Spontaneous yawning was particularly frequent when the lions were relaxed and, in agreement with the 24 h activity cycle typical of the species, was similarly distributed over the night and day. These findings support the drowsiness hypothesis predicting that yawning is linked to the transition between sleeping and waking (and vice versa). Lions did not show high levels of yawning during competition over clumped food such as carcasses; hence, the arousal hypothesis was not supported. We found that yawn contagion was present, supporting the contagion hypothesis and the activity synchronization hypothesis. Our findings suggest that the convergence of motor behaviour triggered by yawn contagion (to our knowledge never explored in any other species) could represent an important tool to shed light on the adaptive and immediate benefits that underlie the evolution of the yawn contagion phenomenon in human and nonhuman animals. • Lions yawn when they are relaxed and engage in social affiliation. • The arousal state seems to inhibit yawning in wild lions. • Wild lions are infected by others' yawns. • Yawn contagion facilitates motor convergence thus favouring lion group synchrony.

Earlier than previously thought: Yawn contagion in preschool children.

Yawning is a primitive and stereotyped motor action involving orofacial, laryngeal, pharyngeal, thoracic and abdominal muscles. Contagious yawning, an involuntarily action induced by viewing or listening to others' yawns, has been demonstrated in human and several non-human species. Previous studies with humans showed that infants and preschool children, socially separated during video experiments, were not infected by others' yawns. Here, we tested the occurrence of yawn contagion in 129 preschool children (ranging from 2.5 to 5.5years) belonging to five different classes by video recording them in their classrooms during the ordinary school activities. As it occurs in adult humans, children of all ages were infected by others' yawns within the 2min after the perception of the stimulus. The yawn contagion occurred earlier than previously thought. For children, it appears that the natural social setting is more conducive to yawn contagion than the inherently artificial experimental approach. Moreover, children's gender did not affect the level of contagious yawning. The neural, emotional and behavioural traits of preschool children are probably not sufficiently mature to express variability between boys and girls; nevertheless, children appeared to be already well equipped with the 'neural toolkit' necessary for expressing yawn contagion.

Yawn contagion in domestic pigs (Sus scrofa)

Contrary to spontaneous yawning—an ancient phenomenon common to vertebrates—contagious yawning (elicited by others’ yawns) has been found only in highly social species and may reflect an emotional inter-individual connection. We investigated yawn contagion in the domestic pig, Sus scrofa. Owing to the complex socio-emotional and cognitive abilities of Sus scrofa, we posited that yawn contagion could be present in this species (Prediction 1) and influenced by individual/social factors (Prediction 2). In June-November 2018, on 104 semi-free ranging adolescent/adult pigs, 224 videos were recorded for video analysis on yawning. Kinship information was refined via genetic analyses. Statistical elaboration was conducted via GLMMs and non-parametric/randomization/cross-tabulation tests. We found yawn contagion in Sus scrofa, as it was more likely that pigs yawned when perceiving rather than not perceiving (yawning/control condition) others’ yawns (response peak in the first out of three minutes). Yawn contagion was more likely: (1) in response to males’ yawns; (2) as the age increased; (3) within short distance (1 m); (4) between full siblings, with no significant association between kinship and distance. The influence of kinship suggests that—as also hypothesized for Homo sapiens—yawn contagion might be linked with emotional communication and possibly contagion.

Auditory Contagious Yawning Is Highest Between Friends and Family Members: Support to the Emotional Bias Hypothesis.

Contagious yawning differs from spontaneous yawning because it occurs when an individual yawns in response to someone else’s yawn. In Homo sapiens and some non-human primates contagious yawning is higher between strongly than weakly bonded individuals. Up to date, it is still unclear whether this social asymmetry underlies emotional contagion (a basic form of empathy preferentially involving familiar individuals) as predicted by the Emotional Bias Hypothesis (EBH) or is linked to a top-down, selective visual attention bias (with selective attention being preferentially directed toward familiar faces) as predicted by the Attentional Bias Hypothesis (ABH). To verify whether the visual attentional bias explained the yawn contagion bias or not, in this study, we considered only yawns that could be heard but not seen by potential responders (auditory yawns). Around 294 of auditory yawning occurrences were extrapolated from over 2000 yawning bouts collected in free ranging humans for over nine years. Via GLMM, we tested the effect of intrinsic features (i.e., gender and age) and social bond (from strangers to family members) on yawn. The individual identity of the subjects (trigger and potential responder) was included as random factor. The social bond significantly predicted the occurrence of auditory yawn contagion, which was highest between friends and family members. A gender bias was also observed, with women responding most frequently to others’ yawns and men being responded to most frequently by others. These results confirm that social bond is per se one of the main drivers of the differences in yawn contagion rates between individuals in support of the EBH of yawn contagion.

Intraspecific Motor and Emotional Alignment in Dogs and Wolves: The Basic Building Blocks of Dog-Human Affective Connectedness.

Simple SummaryIt is now widely accepted that animals may express and perceive emotions. This capacity has an adaptive value because it allows animals to respond to various situations quickly and appropriately thus facilitating their survival and increasing their reproductive success. Through spontaneous mimicry, animals can share their emotional mood and this appears to be particularly fruitful when the relationships are not inhibited by rank rules and when animals build and maintain their bonds through cooperation and social affiliation. Dogs represent a very good model to test hypotheses about the importance of mimicry in regulating emotional sharing because they can be tested at both intra- and inter-specific levels. The intra-specific evidence will help us to understand what the social cognitive potential is at the basis of the evolution of the emotional “intimacy” between dogs and their human companions.Involuntary synchronization occurs when individuals perform the same motor action patterns during a very short time lapse. This phenomenon serves an important adaptive value for animals permitting them to socially align with group fellows thus increasing integration and fitness benefits. Rapid mimicry (RM) and yawn contagion (YC) are two behavioral processes intermingled in the animal synchronization domain. Several studies demonstrated that RM and YC are socially modulated being more frequently performed by individuals sharing close relationships. This evidence highlights the relation between RM/YC and emotional contagion that is the capacity of two or more individuals to share the same affective state. In this review, we try to delineate a possible developmental trajectory of emotional sharing phenomena by using, as a model species, the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris), a valid example of empathic predisposition towards individuals belonging both to the same and the different species. We contrast available findings on RM and YC in dog–dog and dog–human dyads with those in wolf–wolf dyads, in order to investigate if the ability to emotionally engage with conspecifics (wolf–wolf and dog–dog) is evolutionary rooted in canids and if provides the basis for the development of inter-specific emotional sharing (dog–human).

Lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) failed to respond to others' yawn: Experimental and naturalistic evidence.

Yawn contagion, possibly a form of emotional contagion, occurs when a subject yawns in response to others' yawns. Yawn contagion has been reported in humans, chimpanzees, bonobos, geladas, wolves, and dogs. In these species, individuals form strong, long-term relationships and yawn contagion is highest between closely bonded individuals. This study focuses on the possible expression of yawn contagion in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Gorillas share with geladas a similar basic social structure (one dominant male and several adult females with offspring) and differ from bonobos and chimpanzees, which live in multimale-multifemale societies. Gorillas stand out because they are spatially aggregated but show especially low levels of social affiliation. If the expression of yawn contagion is linked to the investment of animals in establishing long-term social relationships, the phenomenon should not be detected in gorillas (social relationship hypothesis). For the first time, we applied to the same subjects the naturalistic approach typically used in ethology (all occurrences behavioral sampling) and the experimental approach typically used in psychology (response to video stimuli). During the video demonstration (avatar yawn/control; unfamiliar gorilla yawn/control), we checked for the attentional state of the subjects. Anxiety-related self-directed behaviors were recorded in all conditions and settings. We failed to detect yawn contagion in both naturalistic and experimental settings, with yawning being possibly associated with anxiety during video shows (revealed by the increased frequency of self-directed behaviors). In conclusion, yawn contagion may be a socially modulated phenomenon that remains largely unexpressed when individuals share weak social affiliation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats.

Communication is an essential aspect of animal social life. Animals may influence one another and come together in schools, flocks, and herds. Communication is also the way sexes interact during courtship and how rivals settle disputes without fighting. However, there are some behavioral patterns for which it is difficult to test the existence of a communicatory function, because several types of sensory modalities are likely involved. For example, contagious yawning is a communicatory act in mammals that potentially occurs through sight, hearing, smell, or a combination of these senses depending on whether the animals are familiar to one another. Therefore, to test hypotheses about the possible communicatory role of such behaviors, a suitable method is necessary to identify the participating sensory modalities. The method proposed here aims to obtain yawn contagion curves for familiar and unfamiliar rats and evaluate the relative participation of visual and olfactory sensory modalities. The method uses inexpensive materials, and with some minor changes, it can also be used with other rodent species such as mice. Overall, the method involves the substitution of clear dividers (with or without holes) with opaque dividers (with or without holes) that either allow or prevent communication between rats placed in adjacent cages with holes in adjoining sides. Accordingly, four conditions can be tested: olfactory communication, visual communication, both visual and olfactory communication, and neither visual nor olfactory communication. As social interaction occurs between the rats, these test conditions simulate what may occur in a natural environment. In this respect, the method proposed here is more effective than traditional methods that rely on video presentations whose biological validity can raise concerns. Nonetheless, it does not discriminate between the potential role of hearing and roles of smell and vision in yawn contagion.

Sympathetic action in the seventeenth century: human and natural

The category of sympathy marks a number of basic divisions in early modern approaches to action explanations, whether for human agency or for change in the wider natural world. Some authors were critical of using sympathy to explain change. They call such principles “unintelligible” or assume they involve “mysterious” action at a distance. Others, including Margaret Cavendish, Anne Conway, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, appeal to sympathy to capture natural phenomena (yawn contagion, magnetism), or to supply a backbone to their metaphysics. Here I discuss how concerns about sympathetic actions form at least a partial background for differing seventeenth-century conceptions of what it is to explain action. I argue that critics of sympathy generally insist on an “atomistic” approach to action explanation, which makes primitively relational phenomena come out as problematic. Proponents of sympathy, by contrast, allow for a more holistic approach to action explanation, which allows for such basic connections. Hence, divergent attitudes toward sympathetic action in part explain differences in approaches to explanation. I conclude by showing how some of these core concerns fade into the background when in the eighteenth-century sympathy gets psychologised and individualised.

Yawning Detection Sensitivity and Yawning Contagion.

Contagious yawning—the urge to yawn when thinking about, listening to, or viewing yawning—is a well-documented phenomenon in humans and animals. The reduced yawn contagion observed in the autistic population suggested that it might be empathy related; however, it is unknown whether such a connection applies to nonclinical populations. We examined influences from both empathy (i.e., autistic traits) and nonempathy factors (i.e., individuals’ perceptual detection sensitivity to yawning, happy, and angry faces) on 41 nonclinical adults. We induced contagious yawning with a 5-minute video and 20 yawning photo stimuli. In addition, we measured participants’ autistic traits (with the autism-spectrum quotient questionnaire), eye gaze patterns, and their perceptual thresholds to detect yawning and emotion in human face photos. We found two factors associated with yawning contagion: (a) those more sensitive to detect yawning, but not other emotional expressions, displayed more contagious yawning than those less sensitive to yawning expressions, and (b) female participants exhibited significantly more contagious yawning than male participants. We did not find an association between autistic trait and contagious yawning. Our study offers a working hypothesis for future studies, in that perceptual encoding of yawning interacts with susceptibility to contagious yawning.