Contagious Yawning

Hello, what’s up guys? Today I'm going to talk you about something very curious and that probably most of you don’t know why it happens.

Yesterday, my father told me that on his way to Madrid by train he was talking with one friend when he started yawning; suddenly his friend started yawning too. Seconds later, one of the passengers from the seat in front of them, and another that was sitting next to my father, started yawning too. It was a contagious yawing!!! Does this situation ring a bell with you? Has that never happened to you? For example when you’re in a conversation with another person and he casually yawns. As you wonder whether he's bored with the discussion, you will find that you're yawning too. Also when a man;walking by, sees you yawning, and pretty soon he yawns; and it's carried on and on, passing from one person to another in a domino effect. It is pretty funny, but do you know why this happens?

Scientists are still investigating what makes us yawn, but there is a well-known fact: yawning is contagious. Scientists say that much of the yawning is due to suggestibility. You don't need to see a person yawn to involuntarily yawn yourself; hearing someone yawn or even reading about yawning can cause the same reaction.

Previous studies about yawing suggested that there is a connection between contagious yawning and empathy. However, then they discovered that contagious yawning decreases as people age and may not be associated with empathy. Now, a new study supports that it isn’t related to facts as empathy, tiredness or energy levels.

And that’s all folks! I hope that with this you have learned a little more about yawing and that you have enjoyed it.