The sound of yawns makes geladas yawn

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 361 - 7
• Main Authors: Pedruzzi, Luca, Francesconi, Martina, Palagi, Elisabetta, Lemasson, Alban
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.01.2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Series: Scientific Reports
• Subjects: 631/181/2469; 631/378/3919; 631/601; 631/601/18; Acoustics; Animals; Bats; Cognitive science; Communication; Hearing; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Male; Males; Mammals; Mimicry; multidisciplinary; Neurosciences; Playback; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Social behavior; Social interactions; Sound; Theropithecus; Visual perception; Vocalization behavior; Yawning; Yawning behavior; Zoo animals
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49797-5

Yawning is undeniably contagious and hard to resist. Interestingly, in our species, even the mere sound of a yawn can trigger this contagious response, especially when the yawner is someone familiar. Together with humans, one other mammal species is known to produce loud and distinct vocalisations while yawning, Theropithecus gelada. Geladas are known for their complex social interactions and rich vocal communication, making them intriguing subjects for studying yawning behaviour. To explore the contagious effect of yawn sounds on geladas, we conducted playback experiments in a zoo-housed colony with animals living in two groups. We exposed them to yawn sounds (Test) or affiliative grunts (Control) produced by males from either their own group or the other one. The results were remarkable, as simply hearing yawn sounds led to yawn contagion in geladas, with multiple responses observed when the yawns came from members of their own group. This finding adds a significant contribution to the research on mimicry and behavioural contagion in primates. Moreover, it raises intriguing questions about the involvement of sensory modalities beyond visual perception in these phenomena.