Chimpanzees catch yawns from each other just as humans do

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 25 Jul 2004 - 1:00 PDT

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A team of researchers at Kyoto University, Japan, has confirmed for the first time that chimpanzees catch yawns from each other just as humans do, according to results published by The Royal Society.

The reaction, according to Tetsuro Matsuzawa, professor at the Primate Research Institute in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture, and a member of the research group, is indicative of a high ability to empathize with others.

The results of the study were published in the latest newsletter from The Royal Society, an independent British scientific academy.

The research group showed videos of chimpanzees yawning to six test subject chimpanzees continuously for three minutes, with breaks of six to 10 seconds, after which the researchers observed the number of yawns.

The results showed the chimps reacting about twice as often as when they were shown only video footage of chimps with their mouths open, but not yawning. CONTINUES....................www.yomiuri.co.jp