Why is Yawning Contagious?

[Tiggi]

Mrs Tiggi has been yawning a lot for several days now. This has led me to investigate using a number of websites. It seems no-one knows why we yawn, or why yawning is contagious.
It seems that even by reading this, you may already have had a quick yawn. Well, have you????
Suggestions on a post-card, please.

 

[Shalershasker]

I did hear one therory a few years ago, along with many other factors it had something to do with the amount of carbon dioxide in your system, if it gets to high your system forces you to yawn makeing you take a big intake of air thus increasing the oxygen levels.:dunno: .

 

[R2B2]

Perhaps she was tired :dunno: :dunno:

Sorry mate....... couldn't resist that!

Welcome to the forum by the way. See yer in Kent, I used to live down that way :violin:

 

[ianrobbo1]

or maybe the company she's keeping!!

 

[warrior64]

so is a written yawn contageous?:dunno:

 

[Rolfy Dave]

Bloody hell. !!!

I started yawning just reading this thread



"Researchers recently found that yawning isn?t only catching among people; it is also among chimpanzees. No one has devised a fully convincing explanation of why.

Compounding the mystery is the odd way in which the contagious power of yawning is largely unconscious. We can see someone yawn, yearn to replicate the action ourselves, and do it, all without thinking about it. Other times we?re aware it is happening, though it still floats somewhere beneath the realm of reason and of purposeful actions.

So what gives? In an effort to find the answer, the Finnish government recently funded a brain scanning study. The results turned up some hard-to-interpret, possible clues. It also confirmed the obvious: yawn contagion 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. But they seem to play no role in yawn contagiousness, the researchers in the new study found. The cells are have no extra activity during contagious yawning compared with during other non-contagious facial movements, they observed."

So now you know...LOL

Rolfy
:beer:

 

[Jaws]

And you know what.. When I READ the title of the thread I immidiately wanted to yawn !! So it is not only a visual thing...

 

[R2B2]

What?? You got the forum in braille as well John?? :dunno:

 

[Pugwash]

or maybe the company she's keeping!!

Or the amount of company she's keeping?


%$fan

 

[ianrobbo1]

Or the amount of company she's keeping? %$fan

:bow: a "double" MIEOW!! :bow: