I don’t know about you, but ever since school started, I’ve been finding myself yawning all the time. Even when I’m not tired, or at least I think I’m not. So, what is the real reason behind yawning? Is it psychological? Is there science? Or does yawning really mean we’re actually tired? Let’s find out together!
Everybody yawns. I yawn, you yawn, we all yawn. Animals do it too! It’s funny, because I actually yawned multiple times while reading and writing about this. There is no concrete evidence as to why we yawn, but there are some theories, and it appears to be caused by both physiological and psychological factors (1).
One theory is that we yawn when we’re bored or tired because our bodies have slowed down (2). Not being able to take in as much oxygen as usual prompts us to yawn to control our oxygen levels and increase blood flow. Yawning is considered an involuntary reflex because we can’t really control it. We can’t stop it, yawning just happens out of nowhere. Another theory is that yawning stretches our lungs, and therefore helps us feel more awake (2). This is certainly possible as I do feel more awake after a good yawn. Yawning also involves neurotransmitters associated with tiredness, appetite, tension, and emotions (1). Certain medical conditions can even alter yawning frequency (1).
It is true that we yawn the most when we’re tired, but there are other factors that could prompt it. The science behind yawning is still somewhat vague, especially when it comes to factors such as stress and anxiety triggering yawning (3). Numerous studies have shown that yawning elevates during periods of stress or conflict, but there is still a huge mystery surrounding the emotional aspect of yawning (3). One of the theories that I find to be super crazy is that yawning actually helps to cool our brains, and keep it at the right temperature for optimal performance! There’s supporting evidence for this, with studies showing that people yawn more during summer compared to winter (3). You can read more about the study here.
Now that we’ve covered some theories behind yawning, let’s talk about why yawning is so contagious.
Have you ever seen someone yawning, and suddenly you’re finding yourself yawn too? I’m sure you can relate to me. A little while back, I actually posted that “‘Catching a yawn’ shows empathy”. However, there seems to be disagreements on contagious yawning due to empathy depending on who you ask. Some say contagious yawning has to do with empathy, while others say it has nothing to do with empathy. A research at Duke didn’t find any correlation between yawning and empathy, intelligence, or time of the day (4). Another study at Tohoku University suggested that contagious yawning was due to perceptual sensitivity (5). But, according to the article on Guardian, contagious occurs if someone is empathetic, or at least has a fair amount of empathy towards the person who first yawned. Evidence for this is that we start yawning around 4 or 5, the time when empathy starts to develop in our brains (6). It was also shown that psychopaths are less likely to yawn due to their lower levels of empathy. Whatever the case may be, the one thing certain is that no one for sure knows the reason behind yawning, or contagious yawning.
It could be psychological, or it could not. Even so, here’s some fun facts about yawning for you to enjoy!
Research shows that 11-week-old fetuses yawn as part of brain development, but contagious yawning happens later on .
We yawn when someone near us yawns, and we have a limited ability in resisting the yawn. In fact, our urge to yawn increases if we try to suppress a yawn.
Yawns can be passed from humans to dogs and vice versa.
An average yawn lasts about 6 seconds.
As mentioned previously, yawning can cool down our brains and allow for better performance.
(7)
I hope you didn’t yawn too much while reading this, but I can tell you I most certainly did.
And as usual,
Stay Happy and Healthy ❤️
Works Cited
(1) Helmenstine, Anne Marie. "Why Do We Yawn? Physical and Psychological Reasons."
ThoughtCo, Dotdash, 29 Mar. 2019, www.thoughtco.com/
why-do-we-yawn-4586495. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(2) "Why Do I Yawn?" Nemours KidsHealth, Nemours Foundation, kidshealth.org/en/kids/
yawn.html/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(3) Gardiner, Bryan. "Big Question: Why Do I Yawn When I'm Nervous or Stressed?"
Wired, Condé Nast, 23 June 2015, www.wired.com/2015/06/
big-question-yawn-im-nervous-stressed/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(4) Bergland, Christopher. "Why Is Yawning So Contagious?" Psychology Today, Sussex
Publishers, 16 Mar. 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/
201403/why-is-yawning-so-contagious. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(5) "Contagious yawning more closely associated with perceptual sensitivity than
empathy." Science Daily, 5 Sept. 2017, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/
09/170905123311.htm. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(6) Ambridge, Ben. "Open wide: why yawning reveals much about your level of
empathy." The Guardian, Guardian News & Media, 27 Mar. 2016,
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/27/
what-does-yawning-say-about-you-quiz. Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
(7) Heimbuch, Jaymi. "6 Surprising Facts About Yawning." Treehugger, Dotdash, 1
Sept. 2017, www.treehugger.com/surprising-facts-about-yawning-4864461.
Accessed 19 Sept. 2020.
How has school been going for you?
School has been going pretty decent for me. I hope you're not feeling too tired. I have been yawning a lot, but I still try to get rest whenever I can, and you should definitely do the same!