Yawn Duration Predicts Brain Size in Wild Cats (Felidae)

Gallup, Andrew C.; Crowe, Brenna; Yanchus, Michael

doi:10.46867/ijcp.2017.30.00.01

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 23 publications

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“…Similarly, species that displayed more variable yawn lengths tended to have larger and more complex brains. A follow-up study examining the relationship between yawn duration and brain size within a more restricted taxonomic scale (a family, Felidae) demonstrated a similarly robust association (Gallup, Crowe, & Yanchus, 2017). Big cat species with larger brains, but not necessarily larger bodies, had longer average periods of mandibular gaping associated with their yawns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Chewing on gum alters the expression of contagious yawning

Gallup¹,

Engert²

2019

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The motor action pattern of yawning enhances neurovascular circulation, which appears to function in cooling the brain and promoting adaptive behavioral outcomes linked with arousal and state change. Here, the authors tested whether chewing on gum, which induces similar mandibular contractions and temporarily increases alertness, alters the expression of yawning. Participants were assigned to either a control, mint, or gum condition and instructed to watch a contagious yawning stimulus in the laboratory. Yawning behavior was scored from video recordings. Findings showed that both sucking on a mint and chewing a piece of gum significantly inhibited contagion in these trials, as both manipulations diminished the overall rate and frequency of yawning in the sample. However, unlike sucking on a mint, chewing gum distinctly reduced and restricted the magnitude of the peak muscular contraction (i.e., the duration) of yawns and this measure correlated negatively with the frequency of chewing during testing. Overall, these findings add to our understanding of the physiology of yawning and provide directions for future research examining connections between yawning and cognitive performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Chewing on gum alters the expression of contagious yawning

Gallup¹,

Engert²

2019

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Brain size and neuron numbers drive differences in yawn duration across mammals and birds

et al. 2021

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Recent studies indicate that yawning evolved as a brain cooling mechanism. Given that larger brains have greater thermolytic needs and brain temperature is determined in part by heat production from neuronal activity, it was hypothesized that animals with larger brains and more neurons would yawn longer to produce comparable cooling effects. To test this, we performed the largest study on yawning ever conducted, analyzing 1291 yawns from 101 species (55 mammals; 46 birds). Phylogenetically controlled analyses revealed robust positive correlations between yawn duration and (1) brain mass, (2) total neuron number, and (3) cortical/pallial neuron number in both mammals and birds, which cannot be attributed solely to allometric scaling rules. These relationships were similar across clades, though mammals exhibited considerably longer yawns than birds of comparable brain and body mass. These findings provide further evidence suggesting that yawning is a thermoregulatory adaptation that has been conserved across amniote evolution.

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Brain weight predicts yawn duration across domesticated dog breeds

2019

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Previous research shows that yawning enhances intracranial circulation and regulates brain temperature. Consistent with these functional outcomes, yawn duration correlates positively with interspecies variation in brain weight across mammals, with robust relationships documented at both the taxonomic rank of class and the more restricted scale of family (e.g., Felidae). This study provides the first investigation into whether differences in brain weight within a single species, domesticated dogs Canis lupus familiaris, can predict intraspecific variation in yawn duration. Measures of yawn duration were obtained from public videos available online and then paired with previously published brain and body weight data of different dog breeds. The final sample consisted of 272 yawns from 198 dogs across 23 breeds. Consistent with recent studies, we find robust correlations between yawn duration and brain weight across breeds. Moreover, these correlations remain significant after controlling for differences in body weight across breeds. These findings replicate and extend upon past work in this area and provide further support that yawns evolved to serve an important and large-scale neurophysiologic function.

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Yawn Duration Predicts Brain Size in Wild Cats (Felidae)

Cited by 3 publications

References 23 publications

Chewing on gum alters the expression of contagious yawning

Chewing on gum alters the expression of contagious yawning

Brain size and neuron numbers drive differences in yawn duration across mammals and birds

Brain weight predicts yawn duration across domesticated dog breeds

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