在你的愛犬旁邊打個哈欠,，它很可能也會跟著打個哈欠。雖然這種現(xiàn)象看似簡單,，但其實這種傳染性的行為很不尋常：只有少數(shù)動物會有行為傳染的現(xiàn)象,，而其中只有狗能夠跨越物種的“藩籬”,。
有新研究表明，有時候狗打哈欠僅僅是因為聽到了人打哈欠的聲音,。這是迄今為止狗“能通人性”的最強有力的證據(jù),。
除了人和狗之外，哈欠傳染的行為也存在于狒狒,、獼猴,、黑猩猩等動物身上。有時,，當(dāng)你與朋友或熟人相處時，打哈欠的次數(shù)會增多,，這說明,，別人的哈欠會使你產(chǎn)生共鳴。同樣,，新研究表明,，當(dāng)狗看到熟悉的人打哈欠時，也會打更多的哈欠,。這也許能為狗和人類之間是否真正存在共鳴提供證據(jù),。
葡萄牙波爾多大學(xué)的科學(xué)家們研究了29只狗，這些狗全都跟它們的主人在一起生活了6個月以上,?？茖W(xué)家們把狗主人的哈欠聲錄下來，同時還錄制了一位陌生婦女的哈欠聲以及電腦合成的哈欠聲,。研究人員讓每條狗都傾聽這些聲音,，并記錄了它們由這些熟悉或陌生的哈欠聲引發(fā)哈欠的數(shù)量：29條狗中的12條在實驗過程中打了哈欠。
這份研究成果將發(fā)表在7月份的《動物認知》ANIMAL COGNITION期刊上,。研究報告指出,，這些狗在聽到熟人的哈欠聲后打哈欠的頻率，比聽電腦合成的聲音后打哈欠的頻率高5倍,。
研究團隊的負責(zé)人Karine Silva認為,，這一結(jié)果說明狗能夠跟人產(chǎn)生“移情”或共鳴。這一現(xiàn)象并不奇怪,，畢竟人類對狗的馴化從15000年前就開始了,。
美國杜克大學(xué)的一位博士生認為，這一研究揭示了狗被人的哈欠聲所感染這一行為更深層的機制,。然而新的問題在于：狗能夠像人一樣感受到我們的情緒與內(nèi)在狀態(tài)嗎,？（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1007/s10071-012-0473-2
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PMID:
Auditory contagious yawning in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): first evidence for social modulation
Karine Silva, Joana Bessa and Liliana de Sousa
Dogs’ capacity to ‘catch’ human yawns has recently attracted the attention of researchers in the field of animal cognition. Following recent studies suggesting that contagion yawning in humans, and some other primates, is empathy-related, some authors have considered the possibility that the same mechanism may underlie contagious yawning in dogs. To date, however, no positive evidence has been found, and more parsimonious hypotheses have been put forward. The present study explored the ‘contagion-only’ hypothesis by testing whether the mere sound of a human yawn can be sufficient to elicit yawning in dogs, in a way that is unaffected by social–emotional factors. Unexpectedly, results showed an interesting interplay between contagion and social effects. Not only were dogs found to catch human yawns, but they were also found to yawn more at familiar than unfamiliar yawns. Although not allowing for conclusive inferences about the mechanisms underlying contagious yawning in dogs, this study provides first data that renders plausible empathy-based, emotionally connected, contagious yawning in these animals.
