Yawning

Yawn and yawning along 

We yawn. A very everyday action that often happens unconsciously. But why does yawning often cause others who observe it to have this reflex reaction?

The phenomenon of contagious yawning has long fascinated scientists. Studies show that when a person yawns, they have the ability to make others around them yawn as well. So it seems to be socially contagious.

Fatigue doesn’t seem to play a big role when yawning together. – Depositphotos

One possible explanation for why yawning is “contagious” lies in empathy. Humans are social creatures and tend to mirror the emotions and actions of others. When we see someone yawn, it activates a type of mirror neuron in our brain. They cause us to exhibit the same behavior.

The emotional closeness between people also seems to play a big role. The more connected we feel to someone who is yawning, the more likely it is that their yawn will spread to us. These are the results of a study at the University of Pisa from 2011 among 109 test subjects.

By the way, this theory is also supported by the fact that yawning in children is only contagious from around the age of four. It is around this age that the ability to empathize emerges.

Also interesting: Women are often said to have greater empathy. But the study showed that gender or nationality are not really important when it comes to the phenomenon of contagious yawning.

Be careful, please don’t fall asleep!

Another social aspect of contagious yawning seems to be the issue of safety. A study by evolutionary biologist Andrew Gallup from the State University of New York concludes:

The so-called “mimicry yawn” could serve to increase the attention and alertness of a group. It does so by synchronizing behavior in a group and preparing individuals for possible changes.

Collective yawning can serve as a wake-up call to compensate for individuals’ sleepiness. This behavior is not just a sign of collective fatigue. Synchronization can help increase the group’s alertness and enable them as a whole to respond more quickly to threats.

This was shown in experiments in which people identified threatening stimuli more quickly after watching yawning videos.

Photo: Unsplash