Contagious Yawning in Gelada Baboons as a Possible Expression of Empathy

Yawn contagion in humans has been proposed to be related to our capacity for empathy. It is presently unclear whether this capacity is uniquely human or shared with other primates, especially monkeys. Here, we show that in gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada) yawning is contagious between individua...

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Published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 106; no. 46; pp. 19262 - 19267
Main Authors Palagi, E., Leone, A., Mancini, G., Ferrari, P. F.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States National Academy of Sciences 17.11.2009
National Acad Sciences
Subjects
Animal behavior
Animal grooming
Animals
Biological Sciences
Correlation analysis
Emotions
Empathy
Female
Female animals
Grooming
Humans
Male
Mental stimulation
Mirror neurons
Monkeys
Monkeys & apes
Papio
Personal hygiene
Primates
Theropithecus - physiology
Theropithecus - psychology
Theropithecus gelada
Yawning
Yawning behavior
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Summary:Yawn contagion in humans has been proposed to be related to our capacity for empathy. It is presently unclear whether this capacity is uniquely human or shared with other primates, especially monkeys. Here, we show that in gelada baboons (Theropithecus gelada) yawning is contagious between individuals, especially those that are socially close, i.e., the contagiousness of yawning correlated with the level of grooming contact between individuals. This correlation persisted after controlling for the effect of spatial association. Thus, emotional proximity rather than spatial proximity best predicts yawn contagion. Adult females showed precise matching of different yawning types, which suggests a mirroring mechanism that activates shared representations. The present study also suggests that females have an enhanced sensitivity and emotional tuning toward companions. These findings are consistent with the view that contagious yawning reveals an emotional connection between individuals. This phenomenon, here demonstrated in monkeys, could be a building block for full-blown empathy.
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Communicated by Frans B. M. de Waal, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, September 29, 2009
Author contributions: E.P. and P.F.F. designed research; A.L. and G.M. performed research; E.P., A.L., and G.M. analyzed data; and E.P. and P.F.F. wrote the paper.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0910891106