As many people have experienced, seeing someone else yawn makes us more likely to yawn ourselves. Recent research indicates that this kind of behavior is not unique to humans, but occurs in other species.

A study published in PLoS One shows that your dog may also be susceptible to such social contagion. The investigators found that when the dogs observed their owners yawn, they were much more likely to yawn themselves.

Brain scan studies of humans have pinpointed regions that control yawning, and those brain regions are the same ones that influence empathy and social behavior.

So that feeling you get from your pet that she really understands you may be a real form of empathy.