• Question: Why is yawning infectious ? E.G when you yawn other people around you will yawn after you

    Asked by Paddy to James, Joe, Leonie, Olivia on 18 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: James Pope

      James Pope answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Hi Paddy,

      It is believed to be due to imitation reflexes. All humans (and chimps) have a reflex to learn by copying (imitation) and the yawning when you see others yawn has developed from this. Babies are a great example of learning by copying when you smile or pull faces at them, they try to do teh same back.

      It is also possible that yawning has some long forgotten social context within homo sapiens as well, but the imitation theory is the one I know best.

    • Photo: Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes

      Leonie Oostwoud Wijdenes answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Some scientist argue that this imitation of other peoples movements (like yawning) happens all the time when we observe others. They say that special neurons in the movement areas in our brain become activated (most of the time without the actual imitation as with yawning). They think this mirroring of other peoples actions in our brain helps us to understand the actions of others.

    • Photo: Joe Spencer

      Joe Spencer answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Paddy
      There are lots of theories on why this is the case. One of which is about our brain development and the idea that yawning when another yawns is a sign of empathy a kind of ”Oh you’re tired, I feel your pain, look i’m tired as well” It’s an important part of our development that makes us humans (although other primates also exhibit this effect as well)

    • Photo: Olivia Lynes

      Olivia Lynes answered on 18 Mar 2015:

      Wow I didn’t know any of that! You forget how much science you don’t know when you spend all day studying it.

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