Why yawning spreads

Yawning has also been linked to brain cooling , which could be why you find yourself yawning more with a rise in temperature. According to researchers , the idea is that if it's hot, but still cool enough so that a large breath of air will bring your body temperature down i.

According to researchers , empathy is the most likely reason. Known as echophenomena, it has also been witnessed in chimpanzees and dogs, as well as humans. And yawning isn't the only place where this copycat behavior is observed. For instance, on a daily basis, we are constantly and automatically imitating other words echolalia or actions echopraxia usually to fit in, notes Dr. Turns out that it's only natural—our brains are literally wired to copy people around us.

By yawning, we compress the muscles of the face, driving oxygen-enriched blood to the brain, Giordano said. Other proposals state the purpose of yawning is to cool the brain, or to stretch internal organs like tissues and lungs, helping the body to liven up. Despite being a fundamental part of our lives, information on yawning is thin, said Thomas Scammell, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School who studies sleep.

But he added that yawning is a primitive reflex among many animals that originates in the brain stem. Most mammals, including cats, yawn. Because the brain stem of humans is similar to other mammals and birds and reptiles too , it makes sense that most animals yawn, Scammell said. Indeed, birds, reptiles, mammals and some sharks can yawn — and animals with bigger brains tend to yawn longer. What is known is that the behavior is contagious.

The likelihood of yawning increases sixfold, according to one study , after seeing someone else yawn. As for yawn contagion, Giordano said it may be related to a phenomenon called social mirroring, where organisms imitate the actions of others.

Other behaviors fall into this category, such as scratching, leg crossing and laughing. Giordano said this behavior could be linked to mirror neurons in the brain. Actors yawn as they take part in a rehearsal for the upcoming temple fair, adapted from an ancient Qing Dynasty ceremony where emperors prayed for good harvest and fortune, at Ditan Park the Temple of Earth , in Beijing January 20, Specifically, these experts believe that yawning plays a role in social communication — that it's a sign of some internal state of mind.

Perhaps yawning did truly help our ancestors say: This experience is unpleasant, but not alarming. In today's world: I'm bored. While it's not clear what yawning truly communicates, some experts believe that the contagious nature may also be a way of showing empathy and matching the emotional states between people.

In fact, a recent study shows that we're more likely to experience contagious yawning with our closest acquaintances than we are with strangers. So, next time you yawn, think about whether you're tired, bored or neither, as well as whether you're yawning on your own or you're yawning because it's on your mind.

You may even try to decide for yourself which theory of yawning you believe most. There are plenty of mysteries about the human body, and yawning is no exception.

So how much of yawning is mystery and how much can science actually tell us about yawns? Why do we yawn? But, whether spontaneous or contagious, why do we even do it in the first place? Jackson et al. A neural basis for contagious yawning.

ScienceDaily, 31 August University of Nottingham. Yawning: Why is it so contagious and why should it matter?. Retrieved November 12, from www. The researchers found microbreaks help tired employees engage A new study suggests that the answer is Now, scientists have ScienceDaily shares links with sites in the TrendMD network and earns revenue from third-party advertisers, where indicated.

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