i'm not bored, i'm empathetic

what provokes some people to yawn when others do? new research indicates it is a more active posterior cingulate gyrus, the area thought to be involved in empathy.

individuals who yawned in response to video clips of others yawning showed increased activity in this area. this study may give some credit to the idea that empathy, even when not recognized by the conscious mind, leads to certain behaviors - mimicking in this case. could it also speak to the mystery of altruism as well?

more on:
evolutionary theories for altruism
empathy and mirror neurons