Psychology
Mirror Neurons and Their Role in Imitation Learning
Quick fact
Mirror neurons were first discovered in macaque monkeys in the 1990s by researchers led by Giacomo Rizzolatti; a neuron in a monkey's premotor cortex fired both when the monkey grasped a peanut and when it merely watched another monkey grasp a peanut.
Why this is interesting
Have you ever yawned just because someone nearby did, or felt a twinge in your muscles when watching an athlete perform a perfect dive? Why do we automatically mirror others’ actions?