ive heard that it is your brain starving for oxygen but i think i saw somewhere(myth busters) that that isnt true. any experts out there that can enlighten me?
2007-02-21 06:36:26 · 6 answers · asked by capt_tmay 1 in Health ➔ Other - Health
The Physiological Theory -- Our bodies induce yawning to drawn in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups. Larger groups produce more carbon dioxide, which means our bodies would act to draw in more oxygen and get rid of the excess carbon dioxide. However, if our bodies make us yawn to drawn in needed oxygen, wouldn't we yawn during exercise? Robert Provine, a psychologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a leading expert on yawning, has tested this theory. Giving people additional oxygen didn't decrease yawning and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in a subject's environment also didn't prevent yawning.
The Evolution Theory -- Some think that yawning is something that began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others. An offshoot of this theory is the idea that yawning developed from early man as a signal for us to change activities.
The Boredom Theory -- In the dictionary, yawning is said to be caused by boredom, fatigue or drowsiness. Although we do tend to yawn when bored or tired, this theory doesn't explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event. It's doubtful that they are bored with the world watching them.
The simple truth is that even though humans have been yawning for possibly as long as they have existed, we have no clue as to why we do it. Maybe it serves some healthful purpose. It does cause us to draw in more air and our hearts to race faster than normal, but so does exercise. There's still much we don't understand about our own brains, so maybe yawning is triggered by some area of the brain we have yet to discover. We do know that yawning is not limited to man. Cats, dogs, even fish yawn, which leads us back to the idea that yawning is some form of communication.
Have we provoked a yawn out of you yet? If we have, hopefully it's not out of boredom, but by the power of suggestion.
Hope that helps =]
2007-02-21 06:56:11 · answer #1 · answered by Hadouken! [Ryu] 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The yawn reflex is often described as contagious: if one person yawns, this will cause another person to "sympathetically" yawn.[2] The reasons for this are unclear; however, recent research suggests that yawning might be a herd instinct.[3] 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, thus proclaiming, "don't attack while I am sleeping..." The contagion of yawning is interspecific (i.e., try yawning in front of your dog). Ironically, yawning in public is generally regarded as impolite in the West, but came into fashion in polite French society for a brief period in the late 18th century. 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".
2016-05-24 03:20:45 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I always thought it was because of a lack of oxygen. Maybe it is just habit.
2007-02-21 06:45:01 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is lack of oxygen!
2007-02-21 06:54:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
not enough oxygen is getting to the lungs....
2007-02-21 06:47:46 · answer #5 · answered by rev. needy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
someone else yawning--ha ha ha
2007-02-21 06:47:16 · answer #6 · answered by sookie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋