At this stage in our lives, I think it is safe to say that we all know that yawning is contagious. However, like most of the students my age, I had never bothered to research why. Quite honestly, I never even questioned it. I was told that yawning was contagious and I simply left it at that. Who actually cares why, right? Well, I decided that at this moment, tonight, for this specific blog, I care.

I did some research and found that some scientists believe that yawning is a sign of empathy and even social involvement. I further learned that children don’t begin to “catch” yawns until they begin socializing, which is usually at around age 4. Immediately, this made sense to me seeing as children under 4 years of age often enjoy playing by themselves rather than with others. Studies even show that children with autism are half as likely to “catch” yawns and in severe cases, some children with autism never do.

Molly Helt, a graduate student in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut conducted a study on this topic with her very own son who suffers from autism. They were on the airplane and she could tell he was feeling discomfort. In an effort to get him to clear his ears, she yawned at him multiple times. She hoped that he would catch the yawn and do it back however, he never did. To read more about her study click here. 

Other scientists believe that contagious yawning is due to a phenomenon called Non-conscious Mimicry. This has been nicknamed the chameleon effect because of one’s tendency to mimic what is around them. Therefore, if someone sees another person yawn, they suddenly have an urge to yawn themselves. Often, this is unintentional and subconscious. Scientists believe this is caused by a group of neurons called mirror neurons. When we see someone yawn, the area of the brain where these mirror neurons are located gets fired up and causes us to repeat that action. It is almost like our subconscious wants to do all that it can to fit in.

Here is another theory as to why yawning can be contagious:

While I may not have thought about why we yawn before, and I may not think about it ever again, I enjoyed researching and blogging about it. It is clear to me that contagious yawning is something I should have looked into years ago. Whether we catch yawns because our mirror neurons tell us to, because it is a form of social empathy, or even because we need more oxygen, it is clear to me that there are multiple factors involved. In my opinion, I think that catching yawns is caused a little bit by all three. However, there are parts that do not make sense to me. For example, a child with autism might not be able to catch yawns because of a variable z rather than his/her inability to socialize. I have worked with many children with autism and as sad as it is, many of them are able to socialize and have feelings and empathy toward those they spend time with. Also, I think it is quite stupid that our bodies yawn to get more oxygen and subsequently create less oxygen in the air causing us to yawn again and again and again following a positive feedback loop. However, I wouldn’t be surprised or offended if you yawned while reading because even reading about yawning can trigger an effect.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-yawning-contagious-claudia-aguirre

http://news.discovery.com/human/health/yawning-social-behavior.htm