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Yawning happens when you open your mouth, take a deep breath and take in air without thinking. You might be tired, bored or just awake. Most people yawn six to 23 times a day — even animals yawn! You may have noticed that you often yawn after seeing someone else yawn. This is called “contagious yawning.” Contagious yawning happens automatically, like a reflex you don’t have to think about. But scientists know it’s not completely automatic because we aren’t born knowing how to do it.
In fact, contagious yawning only begins at the age of four or five, when children start to develop better empathy. Empathy means understanding and sharing the feelings of others. So, without even thinking, seeing someone yawning can make you want to yawn too.
How do scientists know this?
Scientists have found that people yawn more when they see someone else yawning than when they see someone they know well yawning – like a best friend or a parent. This supports the idea that empathy plays a big role in contagious yawning. When you see a friend or family member yawn, your brain picks up on their emotions, and you may yawn too. Contagious yawning may also help strengthen social bonds and coordination within a group. In other words, it’s one way our brain helps us connect with others.
yawning animals
Scientists found that when people see animals like birds, reptiles and fish yawning, they can yawn too (yes, fish yawn too). In fact, some animals like dogs and chimpanzees also have contagious yawning. When a chimpanzee sees another chimpanzee yawning, it often yawns too. Like us humans, this helps them form social bonds with each other.
Scientists found that in humans and animals like chimpanzees and bonobos, contagious yawning is more common among people who share a strong bond. That means you’re more likely to get a yawn from your best friend or family member than from a stranger.
As people grow older, they become better at understanding the emotions of others, and are more likely to yawn when they see others yawning. However, this ability to catch yawns may diminish in very old age. This is seen in both humans and chimpanzees.
Humans can be yawned by a wide variety of animals – not just their pets they love and know well. This suggests that yawning helps us connect and understand each other, whether it’s with another person or an animal.
What happens in the brain when we yawn?
There are special cells in your brain called mirror neurons. These neurons are activated when you see someone do something and you feel like doing the same thing – for example, yawning. It’s as if your brain is mirroring the other person’s actions. So, the next time you see someone yawning and you feel like yawning too, you’ll know that this is your brain’s way of bonding with your friends, family, and even pets.
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