why are yawns contagious?

Answer 1

The answer is, no one really knows why yawning is "contagious". Or why we yawn at all. One popular explanation is that yawning allows you to get rid of too much carbon dioxide in your system and increase your oxygen supply. This was disproved by Dr. Robert Provine and his research team in 1987.

Now scientists are wondering if yawning is from our deep past -- part of our evolutionary history. Did a yawn signal to the group that it was time for everyone to retire to the trees and snooze? Did a yawn signal that we were all feeling cozy and warm about each other? Did a yawn signal something more like, "Gee, I know how you're feeling, I feel that way too."

Between 40 and 60 percent of the population seems to find yawning contagious. Researchers at the State University of New York conducted a series of yawning experiments. They determined that being self-aware (the ability to recognize oneself) and having the ability to see things from someone else's viewpoint means a person is more likely to find yawning contagious.

Now you're thinking, what humans are not self-aware? Schizophrenics sometimes have trouble with self-recognition so they will not find yawning contagious. Babies won't yawn contagiously until they're more than a year old.

Some birds and reptiles yawn. Most mammals yawn. My dog yawns, but that doesn't make me yawn -- I obviously cannot put myself in her paw prints. (But who can empathize with a creature that sleeps all day, then when she does bother to get up and join you on a walk, suddenly bolts after a squirrel and nearly tears your arm out of your socket? I have no idea what's going on in that dog's mind.)

Chimpanzees yawn too, and in fact, if they watch other chimps yawn, they're more likely to yawn too.

So, I guess the real answer is: who knows?

Answer 2

Obviously I'm no expert, but I dredged up some research for you. This is taken from an article on www.al.com, by Monique Curet, entitled "Why are yawns contagious?" In this article, there is a list of possible explanations, created by Dr. Robert H. Shmerling. (Keep in mind, these are only possible explanations— so far, the contagiousness of yawning is the most mysterious and unknown part of the action.)

"*To prevent airways in the lungs from collapsing by stretching the lungs and nearby tissues. "This could explain why yawning seems to occur around the time of shallow breathing (when tired, bored or just arising from bed)," Shmerling writes.

*To distribute a chemical that coats the air pockets in the lungs and keeps them open.

*To prepare for an increased level of alertness, especially just after a period of relaxation ("because yawning is associated with stretching of the muscles and joints and an increased heart rate").

*To signal nonverbally that it is time to relax. "Extensive yawning among members of a baboon group signals the time to sleep, typically with the leader ('alpha male') ending the ritual with a giant yawn. For humans, yawning could be a remnant of evolution that communicates the desire to be left alone (or) the need for rest.

*To serve as a warning system that sleep may soon take over."

One thing that is sure, however, is that yawning is an instinctual, not learned behavior— this is known because yawning (apparently) begins in the empbryonic stage. It leans towards the suggestion that it is a psychological response to outward stimuli (suspected to be visual).

Answer 3

The yawn reflex is often described as contagious: if one person yawns, this will cause another person to "sympathetically" yawn.[3] The proximate cause for contagious yawning may lie with mirror neurons, i.e. neurons in the frontal cortex of certain vertebrates, which upon being exposed to a stimulus from conspecific (same species) and occasionally interspecific organisms, activates the same regions in the brain[4]. Mirror neurons have been proposed as a driving force for Imitation which lies at the root of much human learning, e.g. language acquisition. Yawning may be an offshoot of the same imitative impulse. At a distal level (in terms of evolutionary advantage), yawning might be a herd instinct.[5] Other theories suggest that the yawn serves to synchronize mood behavior among gregarious animals, similar to the howling of the wolf pack during a full moon. It signals tiredness to other members of the group in order to synchronize sleeping patterns and periods of activity. It can serve as a warning in displaying large, canine teeth. This phenomenon has been observed among various primates. The threat gesture is a way of maintaining order in the primates' social structure. The contagion of yawning is interspecific, for example a human yawning in front of a pet dog can incite the dog to yawn as well. Oddly, sometimes sympathetic yawning may be caused by simply looking at a picture of a person or animal yawning, or even seeing the word yawn.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 4

yawning is thought to be contagious by some because of the visual stimulation. some scientists say that empathetic people "catch" yawns more often than others because they "feel the way the other person feels". schizophrenics (who have a hard to empathizing) rarely "catch yawns".

Thats the best i can tell ya... most people have no ideas how to explain it.

Answer 5

it's psychological.. when you see someone yawn, or hear the yawn, there are times that you feel you need to yawn or you want to yawn also. I've experienced that a lot of times. If someone is yawning and you didn't see it or you didn't mind them, you won't yawn also. try to observe..

Answer 6

Maybe it is because of some sort of psychological explanation... There are two proofs of that event:
when one yawns around you, and you see or hear it, you may be stimulated to yawn, too.... and
when a recording of a yawn is played in front of blind persons, they would likely yawn

Answer 7

Girl! I thought i was the only one who noticed that, If someone yawns around me i tend to yawn also and vice versa , i would like to know also.....LOL

Answer 8

Because of two reasons
1. Psychological : Environment is so bored that you feel sleepy.
2. when you yawn, your body tries to take lot of oxygen (fresh air) around you. In very congested places, this will cause other person to do same thing to get more fresh air.

Answer 9

i disagree with the individuals claiming yawns have something to do with oxygen, etc. etc.

i find that when i am talking with someone on the phone and they yawn, i will as well. and vice versa.

i wouldn't say we are sharing the same space, as someone said, therfore we both are in need of O2. anyway, i just thought i'd chime in with that.

Answer 10

I've once read an article about this stating something about "mirror" neurons in our central nervous system. For example, babies tend to mimic what they see. Babies learn to laugh via these same mirror neurons. We laugh with them, they laugh, etc. It is believed the same functionality is present when people yawn.