What is known is that the
behavior is contagious. The likelihood of
yawning increases sixfold, according to one study, after seeing someone else
yawn. As for
yawn contagion, Giordano said it may be related to a phenomenon called
social mirroring, where organisms imitate the actions of others.Contagious
yawning is triggered involuntarily when
we observe another person
yawn -- it is a common form of echophenomena -- the automatic imitation of another's words (echolalia) or actions (echopraxia). And it's not just humans who have a propensity for contagious
yawning -- chimpanzees and dogs
do it too.
