Reduced contagious yawning in psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of potential social-cognitive mechanisms.
- 1Department of Family Medicine and Siaal Research Center for Family Practice and Primary Care, The Haim Doron Division of Community Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
- 2Clalit Health Services, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Abstract
Introduction
Contagious yawning has been proposed to reflect multiple aspects of social cognition, including empathy, emotional contagion, self-processing, Theory of Mind (ToM), and action observation mechanisms such as the human mirror neuron system (hMNS). However, its underlying mechanisms remain debated, with evidence suggesting additional roles for social attention, gaze allocation, social motivation, and neurobiological factors. This systematic review examined evidence for reduced contagious yawning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and psychopathic traits, and evaluated potential underlying mechanisms.Methods
PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus were systematically searched for clinical and mechanistic studies of contagious yawning in psychiatric and healthy populations. Studies were screened using predefined eligibility criteria, and risk of bias was assessed using design-specific Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria.Results
Reduced contagious yawning was reported in ASD, psychopathic traits, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, although findings varied across conditions. In ASD, reduced contagious yawning was associated with social attention, gaze allocation, oxytocin-related processes, and broader social-cognitive differences. In psychopathic traits, evidence more consistently implicated affective-interpersonal traits and reduced emotional responsiveness. Evidence for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was more limited, with proposed mechanisms including impairments in social cognition, ToM, negative symptoms, and possible medication effects. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological findings implicate brain systems involved in social cognition, self-processing, and action observation, although the specific role of the hMNS remains uncertain.Discussion
Reduced contagious yawning may reflect altered social-cognitive processing rather than empathy alone, with contributing mechanisms differing across psychiatric conditions. Interpretation is limited by small sample sizes, methodological heterogeneity, and variation in study design. Further well-powered studies are needed to clarify its neurobiological basis and clinical significance.
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BibTeX
@article{boiangiu2026reduced,
title = {{Reduced contagious yawning in psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of potential social-cognitive mechanisms.}},
author = {Roni Boiangiu and Roni Peleg},
journal = {Frontiers in psychiatry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1879203},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898448},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Reduced contagious yawning in psychiatric disorders: a systematic review of potential social-cognitive mechanisms.
AU - Roni Boiangiu
AU - Roni Peleg
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
JO - Frontiers in psychiatry
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1879203
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42898448
AB - Introduction Contagious yawning has been proposed to reflect multiple aspects of social cognition, including empathy, emotional contagion, self-processing, Theory of Mind (ToM), and action observation mechanisms such as the human mirror neuron system (hMNS). However, its underlying mechanisms remain debated, with evidence suggesting additional roles for social attention, gaze allocation, social motivation, and neurobiological factors. This systematic review examined evidence for reduced contagious yawning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and psychopathic traits, and evaluated potential underlying mechanisms.Methods PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus were systematically searched for clinical and mechanistic studies of contagious yawning in psychiatric and healthy populations. Studies were screened using predefined eligibility criteria, and risk of bias was assessed using design-specific Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria.Results Reduced contagious yawning was reported in ASD, psychopathic traits, and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, although findings varied across conditions. In ASD, reduced contagious yawning was associated with social attention, gaze allocation, oxytocin-related processes, and broader social-cognitive differences. In psychopathic traits, evidence more consistently implicated affective-interpersonal traits and reduced emotional responsiveness. Evidence for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was more limited, with proposed mechanisms including impairments in social cognition, ToM, negative symptoms, and possible medication effects. Neuroimaging and electrophysiological findings implicate brain systems involved in social cognition, self-processing, and action observation, although the specific role of the hMNS remains uncertain.Discussion Reduced contagious yawning may reflect altered social-cognitive processing rather than empathy alone, with contributing mechanisms differing across psychiatric conditions. Interpretation is limited by small sample sizes, methodological heterogeneity, and variation in study design. Further well-powered studies are needed to clarify its neurobiological basis and clinical significance.
SN - 1664-0640
ER -