Is yawning contagious?

Caesar_Bojangle

Is yawning contagious?

radiospan

Yes I think so.

Let's try it... *yawn*

Caesar_Bojangle

that was quick. lol

crazy angel

yea it is but why?

*adele*

omg just readin this made me yawn

Caesar_Bojangle

It's like the domino effect but why?

Look he's yawning, lets be cool and yawn too.

cormie

No joke either, when I sawthis on the latest topic bit of the front page I yawned straight away. Weird. Just did another one. And they are the first two all day. I couldn't control them

*adele*

Oh yeah thats so it :rolleyes:

Rabies

I want to be different

*fart* :eek:

But to answer the original question, yes it is.

Hugh Hefner

I was told once but I couldn't really hear. It's something like a quick lowering in the amount of area near you when someone else yamns that makes you yawn. I think there might be a psychological element as well. Like a mental safety trigger left over from hunter-gatherer times. Meh. Google it.

I can make myself yawn. Can anyone else here do it?

Slunk

Same as Cormie, Im after yawning three times since seeing this topic. First all day.

*adele*

5th time yawning after reading this

_Kaiser_

same here.. it doesn't haqve to be a real yawn either to set someone else off I've noticed

Only Human

When someone yawns it is a natural subliminal message. Its like what Darren Brown does.

iguana

Yawning is contagious. The reason it is, is largely psychological. You yawn to increase your oxygen intake, you do this when tired. Also if out of breath after exercising it it is a good trick to help you catch your breath.

The thing is, for survival reasons, humans are competitive. As yawning will use up more of the oxygen in a room than normal breathing, the people around you will start to yawn to ensure they are getting an equal amount of oxygen.

This is now psychologically imprinted on our sub-conscience so if you are on the phone to someone who yawns, for example, it will make you want to yawn too.

(I saw Carol Vorderman explain this once on Notes & Queries.)

Only Human

iguana wrote:

Yawning is contagious. The reason it is, is largely psychological. You yawn to increase your oxygen intake, you do this when tired. Also if out of breath after exercising it it is a good trick to help you catch your breath.

The thing is, for survival reasons, humans are competitive. As yawning will use up more of the oxygen in a room than normal breathing, the people around you will start to yawn to ensure they are getting an equal amount of oxygen.


This is now psychologically imprinted on our sub-conscience so if you are on the phone to someone who yawns, for example, it will make you want to yawn too.

(I saw Carol Vorderman explain this once on Notes & Queries.)

Thats one of those realy interesting things that will stay in my mind untill I die.

PaulMcG

Wow - it happened to me when I saw it on the front page then again when I read it!

Rozabeez

cormie wrote:

No joke either, when I sawthis on the latest topic bit of the front page I yawned straight away. Weird. Just did another one. And they are the first two all day. I couldn't control them

Hehehe, me too! Now I'm having a pretty bad yawning fit.

Well I just googled it. You can find the answer to the "question of the century" here , here , here and here .
I still prefer Only Human's explanation though! :rolleyes:

Capt'n Midnight

psycosomatic

Alana

well i always use it if i'm on the bus and i'm wondering if some goon is looking at me-ye know the way, your sitting on the bus, and someone is turned around talking to their friend and you'r really tired aftr work or something...or else they'r kinda strange..and in either case it's freaking you out/annoying the hell out of you...so i yawn-and if they yawn back-i know, and then i take decisive action-i.e. i winked at this old woman once and she got up and walked downstairs...hehehehe homophobia is great like that... :rolleyes:

Only Human

Alana wrote:

well i always use it if i'm on the bus and i'm wondering if some goon is looking at me-ye know the way, your sitting on the bus, and someone is turned around talking to their friend and you'r really tired aftr work or something...or else they'r kinda strange..and in either case it's freaking you out/annoying the hell out of you...so i yawn-and if they yawn back-i know, and then i take decisive action-i.e. i winked at this old woman once and she got up and walked downstairs...hehehehe homophobia is great like that... :rolleyes:

Genius.

The_Conductor

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

psycosomatic

I'm not sure.....
If you see a picture of someone yawning- it does not induce you to yawn, yet- if in the presence of someone yawning- even if they cover their mouth- more often than not it makes you yawn Its a visual response, but you have to be present nonetheless? Would this have been an old response where groups of people signalled to each other when it was time to sleep? Or maybe when prehistoric people lived in groups, and had to be alert against predators- it was a manner of guaging the state of alertness of the group as a body?

New Scientist had an article about this a while back- they concluded that if yawning is mentioned that between and 40 and 60% of people automatically start to yawn...... There must be a reason for this? The people most likely to yawn tend to be those who are most self aware or empathic with their surroundings (at the risk of stating the obvious). This is however the reason why people who suffer from schizophrenia never partake in community yawns....

A curious thing is that humans are alone in inducing yawning among each other- it doesn't happen in other animals.

I like yawning- hows that for odd.....

Nietzschean

hrmm set me off yawn'n aswell...

Hobbes

AFAIR it is a herd mentality thing. Basically signalling to the herd that you are tired. Helps regulate the herds sleeping habits.

NotMe

Haha.. either this thread is really boring or yawning is contagious because I yawned twice just reading it.

Only Human

Has anyone read through the thread so far and not yawned?

Kernel

Hobbes wrote:

AFAIR it is a herd mentality thing. Basically signalling to the herd that you are tired. Helps regulate the herds sleeping habits.

yeah, I heard this too, and believe it. Whatever the reason, I'm sure it goes back to our prehistoric past.

DEmeant0r

Rabies wrote:

I want to be different

*fart* :eek:

But to answer the original question, yes it is.

I actually farted when I read this

PeadarofAodh

i havent yawned since reading this and I was yawning like mad just before. But then I was talking to my gf on the phone last night and she was yawning like mad which just set me off, mind you for some reason I really like yawning

header

er maybe

DonkeyStyle \o/

I can't even finish reading this thread... all this yawning is píssing me off.

Stalfos

I tried not to yawn but it couldnt be helped, definitly contagious

Crucifix

I remember seeing on a television that yawning at cats is a good way of gaining their trust.

Caesar_Bojangle

I must try that if I'm ever fighting for my life with a lion or a tiger.

cormie

smccarrick wrote:

A curious thing is that humans are alone in inducing yawning among each other- it doesn't happen in other animals.

Well this was in one of the links posted above.

I don't feel the need to yawn anymore reading this thread, maybe it's because it's in the morning? Although the more I think of it I can kinda feel the temptation, but I'm holding back!

Good plan Alana, could work well in a night club, just keep yawning and when you see someone else yawning just say "hey, I saw you yawning after I did, were u checking me out?" actually a good conversation starter too;)


EDIT: I just had a look at that video, how nice, sit a chimp down and make him watch tv, I'm sure he loves that :mad:

BrokenArrows

cormie wrote:

Good plan Alana, could work well in a night club, just keep yawning and when you see someone else yawning just say "hey, I saw you yawning after I did, were u checking me out?" actually a good conversation starter too;)

Thats good ill try that some night.

Dam i was well awake before i started reading this thread now i just keep yawning. ooooohhhhhahhhhhhhhhhhh

Infini

Try it in a crowded room and you'll find out!

Winters

I just have. Then again I also have just made the 2 meter walk from my bed to my computer.

*Angel*

Yep it's definitely contagious!