Not only do we yawn when we are bored or sleepy, we also yawn when we are about to engage in an important activity or when we see another person yawn.
In fact, there is a theory that yawning is a mechanism to cool the brain, which works within a very limited temperature range. From this perspective, yawning would facilitate blood flow to the brain and would be responsible for maintaining the proper temperature. However, this does not explain why yawning is contagious.
We must not look for the answer within the brain but in social relationships. In fact, yawning is a show of empathy, just like laughter or sadness. When the people around us laugh, we do too and when we notice that they are sad, we become infected with their mood. Something similar happens with yawning.
Autistic children give us a clue
In 2010, researchers from the University of Connecticut studied 63 children who suffered from autism and noticed that they did not respond to another person’s yawn, that is, they were not infected. The experiment consisted of reading them a story and while the experimenter did it, he yawned several times. Thus they were able to verify that autistic children almost never responded to yawning.
The explanation probably lies in these children’s inability to connect with people. In fact, when we relate to someone, a very subtle mechanism of attunement takes place, both emotionally and physically. Not only do we try to understand what our interlocutor thinks and feels, but we also have the tendency to imitate their movements. This is how we synchronize with them.
This ability has its origins in mirror neurons, which allow us to mentally represent the actions carried out by the people around us. In fact, mirror neurons are the basis of empathy and are very likely to play a leading role in the contagion of yawning.
The greater the familiarity, the greater the contagion
A new clue as to why yawning is contagious comes from a study conducted at the University of Pisa. On this occasion, the researchers limited themselves to observing people in their natural environments (in their homes, restaurants, workplaces or waiting rooms).
480 episodes of yawning were detected, but the most interesting thing was that the closer the people were, the faster they responded to yawning. In fact, family members and friends became infected within a minute while outsiders took between two and three minutes to yawn and some even did not even become infected.
This research tells us that the more intense the emotional ties that bind us to a person, the more likely we will be to be infected by their yawn. Therefore, it is logical to think that yawning, like laughter, is a mechanism that helps us tune in to the other person.
References:
Norscia, I. & Palagi, E. (2011) Yawn Contagion and Empathy in Homo sapiens. PLOS ONE; 6(12): 1-5.
Helt, M.S. et. Al. (2010) Contagious yawning in autistic and typical development. Child Development ; 81(5): 1620-1631.
