clipped from: www.msnbc.msn.com A study of autistic children has bolstered evidence that people who identify better with others are more prone to contagious yawning, Japanese researchers say.
Some believe it is simply a reflex. Others suggest the same mechanisms in the brain that make people feel empathy also cause them to yawn when they see others doing the same, he said.
Contagious yawning is seen in only a few other primates and studies have suggested the behavior has played an evolutionary role in helping groups avoid danger by keeping animals awake and alert.
The researchers found the children with autism, a developmental condition that severely affects social interaction and communication including empathy, yawned less than other children during clips of people yawning.
“It supports the claim that contagious yawning is based on the capacity for empathy,” the researchers wrote.