Why does yawning make other people yawn?

Answer 1

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 still have no clue as to why we do it.

Answer 2

We may yawn to draw in more oxygen or remove a build-up of carbon dioxide. Groups produce more carbon dioxide and so we will tend to yawn when in groups.
We do not yawn during exercise and, in addition, it has been found when people are given extra oxygen, yawning doesn't decrease. Yawning is also not decreased when the level of CO2 in the air is reduced. These facts all throw this theory out.
It has also been suggested that it comes about from our ancestors aggressively showing their teeth or possibly as communication or some form of exercise.
Another theory is that it is caused by boredom or tiredness. However, watch Olympic athletes before their event and they are yawning, but obviously not bored.
The only scientific answer is that we don't know why we yawn.

Answer 3

Have you noticed that yawning seems to be contagious? If one person yawns, this appears to cause another person to yawn. Researchers have found that 40-60% of people who see a picture of someone yawning will yawn themselves. Even reading the word YAWN can make people yawn.

Although this “contagious” yawning behavior is not understood, it has been suggested that this could be the result of an unconscious herding behavior — a subtle way to communicate group behavior, such as when a birds follow the behavior of one bird, and all rise together as a whole flock.

Maybe a yawn is a signal to the group that it’s time to go to sleep. Or if someone yawns when they’re bored, it may be a sign to change the topic of conversation.

Yawning is not limited to humans. Animals of all types yawn. If you have a dog or cat, you’ve probably seen your pet yawn several times. Even some birds yawn such as cockatiel parrots, Adelie penguins and Emperor penguins.

Some of the more scientific explanations of why we yawn are caused by physical needs. One likely explanation is that the yawning reflex is triggered!!

Answer 4

To answer this question, we first need to answer the question: "why do we yawn". We yawn because our brain is not getting enough oxygen, which is needed for respiration, which makes energy essential for us to continue life.

Explaining why yawning is contagious is much more dificult to answer. It is obviously an evolutionary mechanism, everything we do is because of the way we have evolved, but why we evolved this is still a mystery.

One theory is that it is from when we hunted in packs and while hunting we would mimic eachother, and more importantly the leader, and the mimicing of yawning is a leftover effect from that.

Another theory is that is comes from when we were sea dwelling mamals, and living at sea, when one "person" would breath in, it would generaly mean that all of them would have to breath in, and thats why we evolved this.

Yet another theory is that when one person yawns, it generaly means they are tired, and in order to sync sleeping paterns this makes other people tired.

I'm sure there are more theories, but those are the ones I know.

So, simply, we just don't know, and we probably never will unless someone invents a time machine.

Answer 5

I think I know the answer to this.

The yawn itself does not make you yawn. When someone yawns it makes you tired.

This is simply an evolutionary mechanism so that people go to bed at the same time and coordinate their days together which probably originated from cave times when people used to act in hunting packs.

Answer 6

scientifically we yawn coz our brain is short of oxygen and by yawning i.e. deep inhalation of air we balance that shortage of oxygen to its equlibrium. Then "Why does yawning make other people yawn?" well...there were many tests done by proficient researchers to find an answer to this age old question...but it seems even researchers have ended up believing that its a kind of infectious thing which almost randomly catches up a person who sees someone else yawning...ppl in villages and remote areas believe in such superstitions but however it should be a psychological factor which just sparks up in our heads and it has something to do with reflexes and our autonomous nervous system.

Answer 7

Apparently it is something to do with caveman times. Some of them would be on watch, then if one of them yawned the others would take a note of that being them getting tired so they'd kind of pass a yawn along so someone else would come out on watch instead of the tired one.

Answer 8

The contagious power of yawning is largely unconscious. Wherever it might affect the brain, it bypasses the known brain circuitry for consciously analyzing and mimicking other people’s actions. This circuitry is called the “mirror-neuron system,” because it contains a special type of brain cells, or neurons, that become active both when their owner does something, and when he or she senses someone else doing the same thing. Mirror neurons typically become active when a person consciously imitates an action of someone else, a process associated with learning.

Interestingly, researchers recently found that yawning isn’t only catching among people; it is also among chimpanzees!

Answer 9

I have yawned everytime i have seen the word 'yawn' in all of these answers!!! That is a lot of yawns

Answer 10

Psychology ?
Even thinking about yawn makes one yawn.
Like seeing someone scratching his head make other feel itching sensation in head.