Why do two people usually Yawn synchronously when they are seated close to each other?

Answer 1

This is a very complex question, and its answer isn't so simple either. To put it simply, whenever someone does anything near you when you are very young, certain neurons (nerve cells) are activated in your brain which are called mirror neurons. They mimic the exact nervous activity that is needed to accomplish the action you saw. That's how you learn most of things you know take for granted, like talking and eating and picking your nose... it's because you saw someone else do it. Now it seems like these mirror neurons remain slightly active later in life, so whenever you see someone yawn, the mirror neurons in your brain fire up, and you'll find yourself getting the urge to yawn.
You may be a skeptic and argue that a child doesn't always mimic anything it sees. That's true. In adults the mirror neurons lose most of their ability to "learn" activity. They seem to become integrated within the rest of your nervous system. What you might wonder about is why they're only acitvated when someone yawns (although, for instance if someone says they're thirsty, you start getting a little thirsty yourself).

Answer 2

CO2 is the answer. When the CO2 levels are increased, they tend to yawn. That causes the yawning when seated near.

Answer 3

I heard it has something to do with the pressure in your ears, that when someone yawns it changes the pressure, and so the person near them yawns to fix the pressure in the ears......or something like that. They could have been full of crap, too.

Answer 4

Well, if you watch discovery, and as another answer says, the mythbusters were confronted by that situation and their result was; after hours of testing, that yawning is actually contagious!

Answer 5

You will NEVER yawn similtaniously with someone you DO NOT LIKE OR HATE !

Answer 6

um laughing yawning and and coughing are contageous. when ever u see any one els yawning or laughing u mite just be compulsed to do it ur self. coughing is contageous for a different reason

Answer 7

Good question -- it's not just people tho, I've made my dogs yawn by them watching me.

Answer 8

This is a myth that was busted on Mythbusters. Granted their methods don't exactly follow scientific procedure, but I was pretty convinced after the episode.

Answer 9

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question572.htm
http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20050623.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/yawning.html
http://www.nasw.org/users/skloot/Yawning.htm