why is yawining Contagious?

Question

everytime i see a person yawn makes me wanna yawn, i see someone else yawning after me.

Answer 1

It is actually one of the great mysteries that science has yet to explain. One theory is that it is a leftover characteristic of early humankind. When humans were nomadic - the hunter / gatherer era - there would be some evolutionary advantage to synchronizing sleep. So when the leader became sleepy and started yawning, others began yawning as well as a prelude to sleeping. Just a theory, but makes as much sense as anything else.

Answer 2

Yawning is caused by a lack of oxygen, and the bodies desire to get a lot of oxygen right away.
This is not related to why yawning is contagious, although when you yawn from seeing someone else yawn it IS your body wanting oxygen.

Why it is contagious is that your need for oxygen is very SUBconscious. Often, unless your blood is flowing VERY slow and you need oxygen badly, you will not even think about the possibility of yawning.

When you see someone else yawn, the phenomenon goes from SUBconscious to conscious.
It triggers your brain to remember how it felt (GOOD) last time you yawned, or just when you yawn in general.
Remembering this pleasant boost in oxygen is recognized as positive and your body replicated the action which caused this positive feeling.

That is a logical breakdown.

Answer 3

Ya-wining is contagious because when everyone else on Ya-Hoo hears ya-wining, it makes them think of aspects of their own lives that may be appeased by whining. So QUIT YA WHINING.

Answer 4

I've wondered this myself! But I honestly don't know.