Other proposals state the purpose of yawning is to cool the brain, or to stretch internal organs like tissues and lungs, helping the body to liven up.
Despite being a fundamental part of our lives, information on yawning is thin, said Thomas Scammell, a neurologist at Harvard Medical School who studies sleep. But he added that yawning is a primitive reflex among many animals that originates in the brain stem. Most mammals, including cats, yawn. Because the brain stem of humans is similar to other mammals and birds and reptiles too , it makes sense that most animals yawn, Scammell said.
Indeed, birds, reptiles, mammals and some sharks can yawn — and animals with bigger brains tend to yawn longer. What is known is that the behavior is contagious. The likelihood of yawning increases sixfold, according to one study , after seeing someone else yawn. As for yawn contagion, Giordano said it may be related to a phenomenon called social mirroring, where organisms imitate the actions of others.
Other behaviors fall into this category, such as scratching, leg crossing and laughing. Giordano said this behavior could be linked to mirror neurons in the brain. Actors yawn as they take part in a rehearsal for the upcoming temple fair, adapted from an ancient Qing Dynasty ceremony where emperors prayed for good harvest and fortune, at Ditan Park the Temple of Earth , in Beijing January 20, You may be compelled to do it too.
When he showed a video of one mouse scratching itself to other mice, the mice began their own scratching within five seconds. And they were five times as likely to imitate the scratching relative to control animals.
Chen said that when animals mimic others, they must be recognizing a useful behavior. So, I better do it. Chen said this behavior could save energy and protect animals against disease.
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Subscribe Today Stay up-to-date on the latest heath care topics. In the news. Race to save the world: Stopping the next pandemic means we need equity in public health MSN. Opioid overdoses have skyrocketed during the pandemic. Texas Standard. In today's world: I'm bored. While it's not clear what yawning truly communicates, some experts believe that the contagious nature may also be a way of showing empathy and matching the emotional states between people. In fact, a recent study shows that we're more likely to experience contagious yawning with our closest acquaintances than we are with strangers.
So, next time you yawn, think about whether you're tired, bored or neither, as well as whether you're yawning on your own or you're yawning because it's on your mind. You may even try to decide for yourself which theory of yawning you believe most. There are plenty of mysteries about the human body, and yawning is no exception. So how much of yawning is mystery and how much can science actually tell us about yawns?
Why do we yawn? But, whether spontaneous or contagious, why do we even do it in the first place? As it turns out, we don't really know why we yawn.
Some theories, however, are that yawning helps: Regulate your brain temperature Wake your body up Bring more oxygen into your bloodstream Keep your lung tissue lubricated While some of these theories have been largely debunked, one of the more recent and prominent theories that still holds some weight is that yawning may be a way to regulate brain temperature. Let's back up for a minute, first. Why are yawns contagious?
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