Acute Physical Stress Modulates the Temporal Expression of Self-Reported Contagious Yawning in Humans

Eldakar, Omar Tonsi; Tartar, Jaime L.; Garcia, Daniel; Ramirez, Valentina; Dauzonne, Melissa; Armani, Yana; Gallup, Andrew C.

doi:10.1007/s40750-017-0060-5

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 89 publications

(117 reference statements)

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“…34 Given that the birds in the current study were briefly handled and placed in isolation for testing, we cannot rule out the possibility that the yawning and associated temperature changes reported here were also stress-induced. 37,38 Overall, these findings suggest that yawning is a thermoregulatory behavior in this species, 25 and generally support previous research indicating a selective brain cooling function to the opening and closing of the beak in birds through the ventilation of the sinus Figure 6. Birds that yawned at least once showed consistently higher facial recordings (mean § s.e.m.)…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Thermal imaging reveals sizable shifts in facial temperature surrounding yawning in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

et al. 2017

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Accumulating comparative and interdisciplinary research supports a brain cooling function to yawning. In particular, previous research has shown significant decreases in both brain and skull temperature following yawning in mammals. In a recent study using a thermal imaging camera, significant reductions in both the cornea and concha temperature were observed following yawns in the high-yawning subline of Sprague-Dawley rats. Here, we performed a similar experiment to investigate shifts in facial temperature surrounding yawning in an avian species with more typical yawning patterns: budgerigars (). In particular, we took maximal surface temperature recordings from the face (cere or eye) from 13 birds over a one-hour period to track changes before and after yawns. Similar to previous findings in high-yawning rats, we identified significant cooling (-0.36°C) of the face 10-20 seconds following yawning in budgerigars. Consistent with the hypothesis that yawns serve a thermoregulatory function, facial temperatures were slightly elevated just prior to yawning and then decreased significantly below baseline levels immediately thereafter. Similarly, birds that yawned during the trials had consistently higher facial temperatures compared to those that did not yawn. Moreover, yawn latency and overall yawn frequency were strongly correlated with the highest facial temperature recorded from each bird across trials. These results provide convergent evidence in support of a brain cooling function to yawning, and further validate the use of thermal imaging to monitor changes in skull temperature surrounding yawning events.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Thermal imaging reveals sizable shifts in facial temperature surrounding yawning in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

et al. 2017

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“…For example, the affiliation hypothesis might predict that contagious yawning should be seen more frequently during reconciliation periods after conflict while the collective vigilance hypothesis posits that contagious yawning should increase in response to external disturbances [37,86]. However, it is important to note that these theories are not necessarily mutually exclusive [87] and that factors such as stress appear to influence yawning propensity in complex ways [88,89]. Additionally, an important next step is to consider evidence of contagious yawning outside of mammals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contagious yawning is not a signal of empathy: no evidence of familiarity, gender or prosociality biases in dogs

et al. 2020

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Contagious yawning has been suggested to be a potential signal of empathy in non-human animals. However, few studies have been able to robustly test this claim. Here, we ran a Bayesian multilevel reanalysis of six studies of contagious yawning in dogs. This provided robust support for claims that contagious yawning is present in dogs, but found no evidence that dogs display either a familiarity or gender bias in contagious yawning, two predictions made by the contagious yawning–empathy hypothesis. Furthermore, in an experiment testing the prosociality bias, a novel prediction of the contagious yawning–empathy hypothesis, dogs did not yawn more in response to a prosocial demonstrator than to an antisocial demonstrator. As such, these strands of evidence suggest that contagious yawning, although present in dogs, is not mediated by empathetic mechanisms. This calls into question claims that contagious yawning is a signal of empathy in mammals.

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“…However, a central signaling perspective fails to take into account that spontaneous yawns are widespread among solitary species, and often occur when alone even among gregarious animals 11,35 . Moreover, yawns are triggered by a multitude of factors, and are associated with a markedly variable array of contexts, stimuli and internal states (i.e., not just when we are bored or sleepy) 7,36 , and as a result could not serve as reliable signals. Nonetheless, the presence of others, i.e., audience or mere presence effects 37,38 , tends to diminish the expression of yawning.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contagious yawning in virtual reality is affected by actual, but not simulated, social presence

Gallup

Vasilyev

Anderson

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Contagious yawning occurs in humans and a few other highly social animals following the detection of yawns in others, yet the factors influencing the propagation of this response remain largely unknown. Stemming from earlier laboratory research, we conducted five experiments to investigate the effects of social presence on contagious yawning in virtual reality (VR). We show that, similar to a traditional laboratory setting, having a researcher present during testing significantly inhibited contagious yawning in VR, even though participants were viewing a virtual environment and unable to see the researcher. Unlike previous research, however, manipulating the social presence in VR (i.e., embedding recording devices and humanoid avatars within the simulation) did not affect contagious yawning. These experiments provide further evidence that social presence is a powerful deterrent of yawning in humans, which warrants further investigation. More generally, these findings also have important applications for the use of VR in psychological research. While participants were quite sensitive to social stimuli presented in VR, as evidenced by contagious yawning, our results suggest a major difference in the influence of social factors within real-world and virtual environments. That is, social cues in actual reality appear to dominate and supersede those in VR.

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Acute Physical Stress Modulates the Temporal Expression of Self-Reported Contagious Yawning in Humans

Cited by 17 publications

References 89 publications

Thermal imaging reveals sizable shifts in facial temperature surrounding yawning in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Thermal imaging reveals sizable shifts in facial temperature surrounding yawning in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Contagious yawning is not a signal of empathy: no evidence of familiarity, gender or prosociality biases in dogs

Contagious yawning in virtual reality is affected by actual, but not simulated, social presence

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