The #1 source for news about monkeys and apes

[Al Shew <albys AT internode.on.net>]

Try to resist yawning while reading this...

http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/ 
0,9865,1660734,00.html

Monkeys can 'catch' yawns from each other, too

Alok Jha, science correspondent
Wednesday December 7, 2005
The Guardian

It is a familiar feeling: that need to suddenly yawn as soon as someone  
else in the room does it. Scientists know that humans and other great  
apes can "catch" yawns from each other but now they have evidence that  
the lesser primates such as macaques are susceptible too.
"Almost all animals yawn, but we don't know why they yawn, we don't  
know what the function is," said Annika Paukner, a psychologist at  
Stirling University. "One hypothesis is related to empathy. Humans and  
chimpanzees catch yawns from each other and the idea is that because  
they empathise with the yawning individual that, in turn, will trigger  
us to yawn."

Research has shown that up to 60% of people can catch yawns. "It's very  
basic - thinking about yawning might set you off yawning," said Ms  
Paukner. "We yawn in a variety of contexts, when we get up in the  
morning, when we go to bed at night, when we're tired, when we're  
hungry."

In their experiment, the Stirling researchers sat a group of stumptail  
macaques in front of video clips of other, yawning, macaques. Compared  
with a control group of monkeys, which saw their television monkeys  
making non-specific mouth movements, the test group yawned more during  
and after the video. Scientists had never previously observed monkeys  
showing the kind of empathic behaviour seen in humans and the great  
apes and the results were a surprise to the Stirling team. "We wouldn't  
expect monkeys to catch yawns from each other," said Ms Paukner.

The yawn tape also made the macaques scratch themselves more,  
indicating that a second reason might be behind the increased yawning.  
"Yawning in macaques does have a function: in tense situations, monkeys  
might scratch and yawn," said Ms Paukner. "In the wild, adult male  
macaques yawn in a yawning contest, almost, to show off [their]  
canines."

Whether the macaques in the experiment were truly being empathic - and  
therefore catching the yawns from each other - or just responding to a  
potential threat will need more research.