# Could you make a serial killer yawn?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-make-a-serial-killer-yawn/420385>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 25, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-make-a-serial-killer-yawn/420385 "2007-09-25T02:53:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-make-a-serial-killer-yawn/420385/1 "2007-09-25T02:53:06Z")

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There was a bit on NPR tonight about yawning, and how we yawn out of empathy for other yawners. I’ve even gotten my cat to yawn, and believe me, he doesn’t care about anyone but himself.

But what about people with zero capacity for empathy: sociopaths?

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**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-make-a-serial-killer-yawn/420385/2 "2007-09-25T03:23:10Z")

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Well, you could make him listen to NPR…

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**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-make-a-serial-killer-yawn/420385/3 "2007-09-25T03:37:32Z")

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[QUOTE=Slithy Tove]  
There was a bit on NPR tonight about yawning, and how we yawn out of empathy for other yawners.  
[/QUOTE]  
Didn’t Mythbusters disprove this?