[HPsquared]

It's a bit like laughing. Synchronise the mood of the group. I assume other mammals have contagious yawns too?

[dcrazy]

Cats certainly do.

Strangely, dogs sneeze to show deference.

[rudyfink]

African wild dogs use sneezes to "vote" to make decisions. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article/284/1862/201...

[dylan604]

My cat always responds when I yawn regardless of what room either of us are in.

[amelius]

Is yawning contagious between species?

[ksenzee]

It is! https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9332820/

[wjb3]

I think you're onto something here. Does anyone know if there are examples of very non-social species yawning (i.e., something that has a brief mating period with no prolonged pair bonding, and then it lays eggs and takes off)?

[wjb3]

So, I tried to track down an answer. And, apparently, there’s currently no well-replicated study showing true contagious yawning in a species that is otherwise non-social and non-bonding.