Why Do We Catch Yawns? Unraveling the Contagious Nature of Yawning in Humans
The reason behind the spread of yawning among individuals is due to an automatic neural response that mirrors others' behaviors, leading to its contagious nature.
Yawning is a peculiar phenomenon that spreads like wildfire among us humans. A simple, involuntary jaw stretch can quickly trigger a cascade of yawns in those around us. But why does this happen? Christine Blume, a psychologist and sleep researcher at the University of Basel, shared her insights with us.
Yawning is an intricate process characterized by a deep inhalation with a wide mouth open, followed by a slow exhalation. This routine reflex is as prevalent among humans as laughter and possesses an uncanny capacity to be contagious. When one yawns, many follow suit, but the reasoning behind this remains elusive.
"It's clear that yawning is contagious," notes Blume. "However, we don't fully understand why it spreads so easily." She also emphasizes that the reasons for yawning in the first place are still under investigation.
Yawning 101
Yawning involves a precise sequence of movements, including a deep breath, wide mouth opening, and sometimes tearing and squinting of the eyes. Investigators propose a range of reasons for yawning's function, such as enhancing oxygen supply to the brain or reducing brain temperature. However, these theories face challenges, as yawning is less common during intense physical activities when the brain requires higher oxygen levels. Furthermore, it's unclear howyawning could cool the brain.
Spontaneous vs Contagious Yawning
Blume advises distinguishing between spontaneous yawning and contagious yawning. "Infants yawn spontaneously in the womb, suggesting a biological purpose for this behavior," she explains. Social or contagious yawning, however, might not serve a survival-critical function but could develop alongside social development. Contagious yawning typically becomes apparent in children around the age of five.
Research indicates that there is a social component to contagious yawning, as suggested by studies showing that participants yawn more frequently when shown videos of people yawning compared to videos of smiling faces. The exact reason behind this remains unclear.
One hypothesis suggests that mirror neurons, which allow us to empathize with our counterparts, enable us to mimic their yawning so closely. However, researchers today see the role of mirror neurons more in recognizing and imitating movements rather than orchestrating complex social processes. The part mirror neurons play in contagious yawning is still not entirely clear.
Yawning, Empathy, and Social Bonding
Empathy is often linked to contagious yawning as it has been found that more empathetic individuals tend to yawn more in response to others' yawns. Conversely, individuals with behaviors associated with psychopathy, characterized by reduced empathy, seem less susceptible to catching yawns from others.
Still, Blume cautions against jumping to conclusions. "Group results should not be extrapolated to individual cases," she says. This means that not everyone who is empathetic will automatically catch yawns from others or that less empathetic individuals will never yawn in social settings.
Ultimately, knowledge about contagious yawning remains limited, as researchers continue to test various hypotheses to uncover the mysteries surrounding this enigmatic reflex. Research on yawning, like many other fields, is driven by theories and questions, and only time will tell us why we catch yawns and what yawning is truly good for.
Researchers like Christine Blume are working to uncover the reasons behind the contagious nature of yawning in humans, which could shed light on the connection between yawning and empathy, a key aspect in health-and-wellness and mental-health. The process of understanding the research policy and the broader community policy on yawning research might provide insights into the scientific aspects of this phenomenon.
