Is yawning contagious?
Here’s what I found…
Most people will yawn when reading this article!
Not only is yawning contagious when witnessed, but even reading or thinking about it will most likely make us yawn. Statistics show that 50% of people will yawn when reading about it, or when seeing someone else’s yawn.Yawning also seems to be an involuntary action. Researches have deemed yawning involuntary due to the fact that babies as young as 11 weeks old, are already yawning in the womb!
The dictionary tells us that yawning is caused by being fatigued, drowsy, or bored; however, scientists are discovering there is much more to yawning than originally believed. Currently there are three theories dealing with why we yawn. They are as follows:
The Boredom Theory - The dictionary tells us we yawn due to fatigue, drowsiness, or boredom. However, why do Olympic athletes typically yawn right before competitions?
The Evolution Theory - Ummm…yeah. Just about as believable as “The Big Bang Theory”, some believe that yawning was originally used by “our ancestors” to show their teeth and intimidate others. =.='
The Physiological Theory - This stands to be the most believable theory to me, stating that yawning is induced by our bodies to get more oxygen in, and get more carbon dioxide out. However, why don’t we yawn while exercising? Research has also shown that giving people oxygen does not reduce the frequency of their yawns.
Basically after all my research I’m still at a loss for why yawning seems to be contagious; and don’t forget that animals yawn too!
see,animals do yawn :)
