Psychology
Contagious Yawning and Empathy
Quick fact
The strength of contagious yawning is linked to your empathy level: people with higher empathy scores yawn more in response to others, while those with conditions like autism or psychopathy often show reduced contagious yawning.
Why this is interesting
You’re in a quiet room and someone yawns. Suddenly, you feel the urge to yawn too. Why does your body automatically mimic something so simple—and what does that have to do with how you understand others?