What makes yawning contagious

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Medically reviewed by Cameron White, M. Is yawning contagious? Ways to stop yawning. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. Jaw Popping. Why Am I so Tired? Medically reviewed by Suzanne Falck, MD. They said the evolutionary value of collective yawning remains unknown, but may have something to do with the desire of an animal to protect the members of its tribe.

One theory argues that when humans are tired, we stop taking deep breaths, which causes a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body, said Douglas Parham, a speech scientist at Wichita State University.

A yawn might be a special kind of respiration, Parham said. It builds up oxygen quickly, while expelling carbon dioxide, even more than a deep breath. Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology.

These chemicals send out a signal that triggers a yawn. 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. Journal Reference : Georgina M. 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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