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Why dogs yawn when we yawn
If your dog 'catches' your yawn, your furry friend may be empathizing with you.
Mon, May 14 2012 at 10:47 AM
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Photo: janoma.cl/flickr
If your canine companion has ever yawned after you yawned, it could be because he empathizes with you, according to a new study.
It may seem simple, but the fact that this behavior is contagious is actually quite remarkable because very few animals do it. Yawning itself is rare in the animal kingdom, and besides people and dogs, contagious yawning has been observed only in gelada baboons, stump-tail macaques and chimpanzees.
We know that humans and chimps tend to yawn more with friends and family, suggesting that “catching” someone’s yawn is tied to feelings of empathy, and past research has shown that dogs are more likely to yawn after watching familiar people yawn. However, until recently, it was unclear if dogs’ yawns were tied to empathy.
But a recent study conducted by researchers at Portugal's University of Porto found that dogs yawn even when they hear only the sound of a person yawning, providing the strongest evidence yet that man’s best friend is able to empathize with us.
The team, led by behavioral biologist Karine Silva, selected 29 dogs that had lived with their owners for at least six months. Yawn recordings of the dogs’ owners, an unfamiliar woman and a computer-simulation were played for the animals during two different sessions, and the study found that nearly half of the dogs yawned when they heard a recording of a human yawning. However, the canines yawned five times more often when they heard a human they knew yawning.
"These results suggest that dogs have the capacity to empathize with humans," said Silva, who explained that the close human-animal bond that’s been developed through 15,000 years of domestication “may have fostered cross-species empathy.”
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Yawning is one of the calming signals dogs use to communicate with each other. It means either "I am not a threat" or "you are making me nervous". It is inherent in dogs and wolves. Read the book "Calming Signals, on Talking Terms with Dogs".
I yawned while reading the article, weird.
Our dog yawns when shes about to ask for dinner :)
did they forget that lions and horses yawn???? Just sayin'....
My dog yawns when she is happy, like getting to go out for a ride. My cat will yawn when I do an vica versa. It's fun to do to him and I really think he sees the humor in it as well. I know my dog thinks it's funny when she makes me yawn; she gets that silly grin. (I am getting tired of yawning while I wrote this! :) )
To David1958 - they "get these numbers from" archaeological findings that show dog burials beginning around that time, indicating that they were domesticated from at least that long ago.
'developed through 15,000 years of domestication' 15,000 years? Where do these people come up with these numbers?
Hmmm - maybe I'm the oddball here but *I* yawn when my kitty yawns! Does this suggest that *I'm* empathetic with my kitty cat?? ;-))
empathy quaint
I yawned at least ten times while reading this article. My dog stood up, scratched an itch, wandered to the door to check the goings on, had a drink of water, and laid back down on her bed. She didn't yawn once. My jaw hurts. I'm closing the tab and focusing on something that isn't yawning! LOL
My class of third graders all yawned on the count of 3 at an aquarium. We were standing in front of a gigantic African River fish. The fish opened his mouth so wide, right back at us. We laughed so hard!!!
I would like to add a note about other critters yawning. One of our horses would stand at the fence, facing the kitchen window, waiting for her morning feed. One morning I saw her yawn widely, while waiting. Guess just waking up can do it for them.
I think what the article means is that very few animals yawn contagiously. I'm sure plenty of other animals yawn as well, they just don't do it when they see other people/animals yawning.
Dogs yawn when they are stressed. I've never witnessed a dog yawning in response to a human yawn. Of course dogs empathize with humans, but I really question this study.
I don't know about empathy, but I do know dogs can yawn when they are nervous as I have observed this on more than one occasion. I have never seen my cat yawn.
Cats do yawn. Mine does and is quite vocal when he does.
I had a cat, and yes, he yawned occasionally too.
yes cats do yawn and strech, i have pictures of some of mine to prove it! some even make a low growling sound when they yawn.
My dogs yawn every morning after a long night's sleep at the same time as they do their morning body stretch.
Of course dogs feel empathy and cats too. They are sensitive to their humans and each others needs. Ever have a bad day and your dog comes and licks you in the face, grins in a silly way, wants to get you up and going? He/she feels your sadness! Ever have a cat rub your cheek when you are down/crying/emotional. They know- they sooo know.
On a very different note, I also heard that dogs yawn when they are scared, is that true?
While my cat yawns as well as my dog....I always have the sense that my cat yawns first...and then I"m the one yawning in empathy!
My cat frequently yawns!!
anyone should know that dogs & cats PSI - link with their masters/misteresses & recieve thoughts from some distance away, ( Probably smelling distance)
One of my dogs sneezes when she gets excited; not just once, but at least three times in a row!
"These results SUGGEST that dogs have the capacity to empathize with humans,"
Amazing that this is still questioned & not recognized as fact by the scientific & cultural mainstream. Why are scientists so unrepentantly clueless when it comes to animal intelligence/behaviour? Sigh...
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