***i've always thought how funny it would be to yawn in a meeting or something at work, then watch the yawn travel around the room and make everyone look like they're tired - like a mexican yawn***
If anyone does this in work tomorrow for the shear hell of it let me know how it goes - i'm just curious that's all.
****hard to categorize this question? !!! ****
2006-10-12 10:28:25 · 21 answers · asked by Miss Tickle 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
I can't belive people have yawned just from reading the question, i guess you'll say it coz my question was boring, i'd say not the case - but try saying YAWN to someone and watch them try not to yawn - it's amusing!
2006-10-12 10:54:48 · update #1
Yawning is your bodys way of trying to relax you after physical or mental stimulation. If you yawn it is often followed by the urge to stretch. Then reason it is contagiuos is we are social animals and it signals to the rest of us that its time to rest. Before we invented the light blub or lived with candle light the onset of darkness was a trigger on our brains and it helped the group to settle down for the night so our activities were synrochised as a group. By yawning often first by dominate male or female of the group sent out a social signal that it was time to sleep and rest. It also signaled that the group was in a safe enviroment to relax. It would be no good to have tired hunter/gathers in the group while foraging for food and miss a potenial meal or become a meal by another predator. Because they were not alert. The survival of the group relied on the been alert so thats why its contagious. To get the group to rest as one. And be alert for danger and finding food durning daylight. Hence when some yawns in a meeting or at college others tend to yawn as there is not danger around and the need to surivive as a group depends on all of them been alert at the sametime. The survival instinct is still there. With modern living we tend to forget our past and that once we not at the top of the food chain. We needed our wits about us just to surivive day to day. Just like a group of woman living together over a period of time end up having periods at the same time. Synchronization of certain behavours insured the greater chance of survival of the group and passing on genes. Hope that helped.....
2006-10-12 13:39:32 · answer #1 · answered by wandera1970 6 · 24⤊ 1⤋
Still not quite sure why we yawn. They say that it is a lack of oxygen and so we yawn, we aren't always tired when we yawn, if you notice. It could be in that area where people do the same thing or it just has something to where everyone has a similar reaction.
2006-10-12 10:32:03 · answer #2 · answered by whackiejackies 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think all the other answers have concentrated on the purely biological aspects of yawning, ie. oxygen to the brain. It was my understanding that there is a social aspect to yawning as well.
When a dominant individual in a social gathering starts to yawn it is body language which says: "Okay everybody, I'm getting bored with this situation. Shall we start to wrap things up here?" If the others in the group start to yawn also, its like saying: "I agree, lets move on to other things."
Now this may be all nonsense, but it would explain the contagious aspect of yawning.
2006-10-12 10:46:19 · answer #3 · answered by 13caesars 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
im not sure but i think its your body saying it needs more oxygen (wow thats wierd i just yawned) not sure why so contagious and i have accidently yawned in a meeting and yes very funny to see coz everyone including the person holding the meeting yawns so you cant get told off lol
2006-10-12 10:40:54 · answer #4 · answered by leanne_on_line 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If are brains aren't getting enough oxygen we take in a bunch of air by yawning, but im not sure why when were tired we yawn.
2006-10-12 10:37:19 · answer #5 · answered by wheels47012 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A yawn is simply a lack of oxygen in the blood stream. When someone is tired there breathing becomes slower and more shallow. A yawn basically is a big deep breath sending more oxygen to the blood stream. Next time you feel like yawning take three or four deep breaths and see if you still have to yawn. As far as it being contagious.....your on your own!:)
2006-10-12 10:33:30 · answer #6 · answered by notrace76 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
A yawn is your brain trying to go into sleep mode and when you sleep your body needs less oxygen. So basically it's your brain trying to get more oxygen. It's contagious because it's a primative instinct that when it seems like others aren't getting enough oxygen maybe you aren't either. Hope I was able to explain it well enough.
2006-10-12 10:43:02 · answer #7 · answered by kane_rosebud 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, I've looked this up, and asked, but no answers except that they are contageous because your brain "mirrors" the yawn and you then yawn. Something alog those lines... Look it up. Many great websites out there! :)
2006-10-12 10:31:28 · answer #8 · answered by S.M. 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the reason we yawn is using the fact our respiratory slows inflicting a loss of oxygen and so we yawn to soak up a deep breath, that's why we yawn as quickly as we are drained-our respiratory slows down. And as quickly as we see somebody else yawn our respiratory slows down somewhat lower back so we yawn :)
2016-10-16 03:14:21 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
15 years ago the US government spent at least 500 thousand dollars studying this in college study and lecture halls.
they had cameras on every one and they had someone at the front of the room yawn..and to see how fast it took the student to follow..and then they interviewed the students to see if they stay up ate or not..after a year and 500 thousand dollars..they still do not know why.
except your brain need oxygen..
2006-10-12 10:33:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋