下午兩點，我為了一個實驗已經清醒整整十二個小時的當口，網路上這個新聞讓我本來要脫口而出的哈欠聲變成大笑聲。
害我差點嗆到……
原來狗看到人打哈欠，也會被傳染啊！
原本科學家相信，只有靈長類動物，像是人類和黑猩猩，打哈欠會互相傳染（contagious yawning）。因為自閉症患者沒有這樣的行為，所以控制傳染性哈欠的機制很有可能跟同理心相關（原來看到別人「愛睏」，自己就跟著「愛睏」也是同理心的一種。XD）。不過，最近英國的一個研究發現，狗也有傳染性哈欠。
研究人員找了29隻不同性別和品種的狗，讓牠們陌生的在實驗者的前方。實驗者先叫牠們的名字，有眼神接觸後，開始連續打哈欠（實驗組），或是僅單純的張口閉口（對照組），記錄5分鐘內牠們的反應。
結果，29隻狗中有21隻看到陌生人打哈欠後，也會跟著打哈欠，但是沒有一隻狗對單純的張閉口有反應；平均第4.5個哈欠時，也就是實驗開始約1分半後，狗開始打哈欠。
（做實驗的人真辛苦，5分鐘裡要打哈欠打個不停……實驗做完他們的TMJ還正常嗎……不要理我……這是改不掉的職業反應……）
打不打哈欠跟狗的性別、年齡、或是實驗組對照組的先後順序沒有關係。
狗能被人類傳染哈欠，很有可能是在被人類馴養的過程中，演化出這種表示對飼主有同理心的行為（因為這樣會比較得寵吧！XD）。不過這個實驗並沒有探討當一隻狗看到另一隻狗打哈欠時的反應，所以不清楚狗對狗是不是也有類似人類的同理心。
雖然黑猩猩在面對壓力時也會打哈欠，但是因為對照組沒有一隻狗有反應，所以應該能被排除在實驗時，因為狗身處陌生的環境、或是和陌生人相處，而打起哈欠的可能性。
所以，該怎麼說呢？狗真不愧是人類最好的朋友啊！（或許我該說家狗演化的過程真的充滿心機？！）
延伸閱讀：
Seattle Times
Saturday, August 9, 2008 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Dogs show empathy by yawning ... or maybe they're tired
Los Angeles Times
If you yawn, chances are your dog will do the same thing.
A study published in the journal Biology Letters this week found that human yawns are contagious to dogs, a sign that people's best friend might be capable of a rudimentary form of empathy.
To scientists, dogs have been a puzzle. Dogs are adept at reading human intentions and excel over other animals in picking up human hand gestures and other behavioral cues. At the same time, they appear to lack a sense of self, considered a prerequisite for understanding the feelings of others.
Unlike chimpanzees and possibly elephants and dolphins, dogs do not recognize themselves in a mirror, a classic test of self-awareness.
The latest study demonstrates that dogs possess "some low-level attending to what others feel," said Duke University anthropologist Brian Hare, who was not involved in the research.
Only humans and chimps are known to yawn contagiously.
The study of 29 dogs was conducted at the University of London in two stages. First, each dog watched a male researcher perform a large yawn and then, in the control portion of the experiment, the dogs took turns observing the same researcher merely open his mouth.
Twenty-one of the 29 dogs, or 72 percent, yawned after watching the researcher yawn, higher than the 45 percent to 60 percent rate reported in humans and the 33 percent rate reported in chimps.
No dogs yawned during the control portion of the experiment.
"Dogs are not only reading and responding but may be sharing feelings with humans," said Atsushi Senju, a research fellow at the University of London's Birkbeck College and one of the study authors.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
2樓. Frances2008/08/14 22:20非常有趣的一篇介紹
如果因此而能研究出解決人類失眠症的方案，倒是挺不錯的哩!
謝謝分享。
1樓. 黃冠軍2008/08/11 20:19打哈欠
狗.獅.虎.猴.河馬.猩猩......都會打哈欠，我家養的兔子也會。
