Good to know Why yawning is contagious – and which people infect us most easily
When someone yawns, we quickly get carried away.
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When someone around us yawns, our mouths open almost automatically. But not everyone is just as easily infected by yawning.
We squint our eyes, open our mouths wide and yawn with pleasure. And if one person does it, soon everyone will do it: “For most people, yawning has a contagious effect. They also have to yawn within the first five minutes of the other person yawning. Exceptions are children under four years of age and people with a developmental disorder,” says Utta Petzold, a doctor at the Barmer health insurance company. Scientists are still concerned about why this is the case.
The most likely reason for a yawn’s contagious effect seems to be empathy. According to a study by Steven Platek, people who yawn a lot are among those who are better at empathizing with other people. A study by Italian scientists from 2011 also suggests that empathy plays a role: For over a year, the researchers observed 109 adults from Asia, North America, Europe and Africa in their usual environment.
When our family members yawn, we are most likely to be infected by it
Their result: We are more likely to be infected by the yawning of people close to us than by strangers. In the study, the researchers determined the following ranking: The study participants were most likely to be infected by their family’s yawning, followed by friends, acquaintances and strangers. According to the scientists, however, the situation, nationality or gender played a less important role than emotional connection.
So we are unconsciously encouraged to imitate. “For example, if a family member yawns, you are more likely to yawn than a stranger – this is because of the empathic connection our brain makes that makes us empathize more with the yawning person and inadvertently want to imitate their actions,” said Reyan Saghir from King’s College in London opposite “Realsimple”.
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But why we yawn at all is still a mystery. The assumption that yawning is a reaction to too little oxygen in the blood is widespread – but this theory has already been refuted. Another assumption that is being discussed in science: yawning serves to regulate the temperature of the brain. “When the facial muscles relax, heat can be dissipated through the facial veins, and the incoming cool air helps cool brain temperature through the blood,” said Reyan Saghir.
Sources: Platek study, Italy study, Barmer, Realsimple
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