It's a bit like laughing. Synchronise the mood of the group. I assume other mammals have contagious yawns too?

I think you're onto something here. Does anyone know if there are examples of very non-social species yawning (i.e., something that has a brief mating period with no prolonged pair bonding, and then it lays eggs and takes off)?

	▲	wjb3 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		So, I tried to track down an answer. And, apparently, there’s currently no well-replicated study showing true contagious yawning in a species that is otherwise non-social and non-bonding.

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dcrazy 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Cats certainly do.

Strangely, dogs sneeze to show deference.

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rudyfink 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

African wild dogs use sneezes to "vote" to make decisions. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/284/1862/201...

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dylan604 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

My cat always responds when I yawn regardless of what room either of us are in.

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amelius 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Is yawning contagious between species?

	▲	ksenzee 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It is! https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9332820/