Chimps ‘catch' yawns from a robot — and think it's time for a rest
Or at least, this is how it could appear, after scientists found new proof that yawning can be contagious — and believe they may have finally figured out why. They did this via the unusual method of showing that chimps can 'catch' yawns from robots that have been programmed to mimic human facial expressions.
Scientists remain puzzled by the contagious nature of yawning and are unsure how or why it evolved in a number of animal species that live in social groups, including mammals and even some fish.
The chimpanzee study provided new proof that yawning could be contagious
ALAMY
Studies have found that more than two thirds of humans end up yawning after seeing someone else do the same, and that yawns can even be contagious between species, for example when a dog yawns after seeing its owner do the same.
Some theories suggest that seeing a yawn triggers wiring in the brain known as mirror neurons, which not only fire when the body carries out a particular action but also when you witness someone else performing that action. Catching yawns from others may therefore play a role in a phenomenon known as 'social mirroring', used as a tool to display empathy with your companions.
Scientists now think, however, that the brain may see someone else yawning and interpret it as a sign to take a rest, after their study found that chimps not only yawn when seeing a robot do the same, but also then lie down.
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Researchers from City St George's university in London programmed a humanoid robotic head with lifelike skin and facial features to yawn as humans do. They exposed 14 adult chimps aged between 10 and 33 at a sanctuary in Spain to the 'yawnbot', showing them a range of expressions including yawning, 'gaping' and a neutral face, with each lasting ten seconds.
The 'yawnbot' used in the study
CITY ST GEORGE'S, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON
The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that 'chimpanzees will both yawn and lie down in response to yawns made by an android, suggesting that it may act as a cue to rest rather than simply triggering an automatic response'.
After a large yawn, the chimps tended to yawn too and would then 'gather bedding materials before lying down'.
It is the first time that yawning has been shown to be contagious from an inanimate object and shows just how susceptible non-human primates are to such triggers.
They found that yawning not only prompts someone to mimic the action, but sends the message that it is time for bed, suggesting that yawning had 'rest-related inferences for the chimpanzees'.
It is possible that yawning can help a social group to co-ordinate their sleep cycles.
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