Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Palagi E
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2780782 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Palagi E E Leone A A Mancini G G Ferrari P F PF
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20091104 46
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 th ...[more]