Yawning is contagious, it has a specific role
My body spreads languidly, and after lunchtime, I can’t control my drowsiness as I keep yawning. Has the spring fever already started? Spring fatigue is a natural phenomenon that occurs when the nights get shorter and the days get longer in spring, as the temperature rises and muscles relax.
Yawning can also be an effect of spring fatigue. This is because yawning appears as a kind of breathing movement accompanied by contraction of the extensor muscles of the whole body (muscles that act to stretch the joints). Studies have shown that yawning is not only a signal from the body when bored or tired, but also serves to cool the overheated brain. We have summarized the main facts related to yawning introduced by the US Internet media ‘HuffPost’.
△ Brain cooling function
Research suggests that the function of yawning is to cool the brain. The action of opening and closing the mouth wide causes the sinuses, which are caves next to the nose, to expand and then contract. In this way, the sinuses, like bellows, blow air into the brain to cool it down.
Also, when you’re bored, you yawn more. A small study of college students found that students who watched a color pattern yawned more than a group who watched a 30-minute rock video.
△average time is 6 seconds
The duration of a yawn is about 6 seconds. During this time, your heart beats significantly faster. In one study, it was confirmed that many of the physiological changes that occur before, during, and after yawning occur only in yawning. It was a different change from simply taking a deep breath.
Why is it contagious?
Yawning is actually contagious. Studies have shown that 50% of people who watch yawning videos start yawning. Even animals do. Studies have shown that yawning is contagious among chimpanzees and baboons. Dogs can start yawning just by hearing their owner yawn. Even thinking or reading can be contagious.
However, this is not such a strange reaction. Experts say, “laughter is contagious as well.” There are many research results that the reason for contagion is empathy. Experts say, “yawning is a trend that is understood as a social phenomenon rather than a psychological phenomenon.” This may be why we yawn when we are not tired.
The closer you are, the more contagious it is.
Studies have shown that close friends are most contagious. The closer you are genetically and emotionally, the more likely you are to imitate a yawn. According to experts, this supports the theory of empathy. This is because there is a greater emotional bond between family members and best friends.
Could be a sign of disease
What is not a major symptom of a serious illness. However, excessive yawning may be something other than a symptom of severe sleep deprivation. According to the National Institutes of Health, it could be due to heart problems affecting the vagus nerve. In rare cases, brain abnormalities can also manifest as excessive yawning.
The fetus also yawns
Babies also yawn. According to scan analysis, there is a distinction between mouth opening and yawning. This may have something to do with brain development, the research team said. It is also estimated that it may be used as a marker (marker) that the fetus is developing normally.
