Contagious yawning and the brain

Contagious yawning, the onset of a yawn triggered by seeing, hearing, reading, or thinking about another person yawn is a well-documented phenomenon. The mechanisms that drive contagious yawning are as yet unknown, but there is recent evidence of a link between contagious yawning and self-processing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research. Cognitive brain research 2005-05, Vol.23 (2-3), p.448-452
Main Authors: PLATEK, Steven M, MOHAMED, Feroze B, GALLUP, Gordon G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomical correlates of behavior
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition - physiology
Empathy
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gyrus Cinguli - physiology
Humans
Laughter - physiology
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Photic Stimulation
Prefrontal Cortex - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Self Concept
Yawning - physiology
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Summary:Contagious yawning, the onset of a yawn triggered by seeing, hearing, reading, or thinking about another person yawn is a well-documented phenomenon. The mechanisms that drive contagious yawning are as yet unknown, but there is recent evidence of a link between contagious yawning and self-processing (S.M. Platek, S.R. Critton, T.E. Myers, G.G. Gallup Jr., Contagious yawning: the role of self-awareness and mental state attribution, Cogn. Brain Res. 17 (2003) 223-227.) that is negatively impacted by schizotypal personality traits. The neural substrates involved in contagious yawning, however, are unknown. Here, using fMRI, we show that viewing someone yawn evokes unique neural activity in the posterior cingulate and precuneus. Because of the role these areas play in self-processing (e.g., self-referential processing, theory of mind, autobiographical memory), our findings provide further support for the hypothesis that contagious yawning may be part of a neural network involved in empathy.
ISSN:0926-6410
DOI:10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2004.11.011