Does anyone know why yawns are contagious?

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  1. Sunshiney31 profile image69
    Sunshiney31posted 14 years ago

    Me and my girls are sitting around passing our yawns to eachother and we are just curious? I don't want to look it up on the vast explanations the web offers. I want to hear your knowledge!

    1. profile image0
      Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The power of suggestion is vewwwy forceful.

      haha

      I really don't know, but this is an interesting topic!

      1. IntimatEvolution profile image67
        IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Aqua, I think you've nailed it though.  It is the power of suggestion.

        A yawn indicates the need for more o2.  The subconsciousness suggestion then is that, you or I might be needing more o2 also.  Therefore, we yawn in response.

        1. profile image0
          Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Wait.  I'm not Aqua.

          But I am yawning.
          What's UP with this thread??  haha

          1. blondepoet profile image66
            blondepoetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Lol me too Brenda am ready for a cat-nap. smile

    2. Mikel G Roberts profile image75
      Mikel G Robertsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Your thread just made me yawn... hmm  contagious even if you just think about someone yawning... hmmhmm

      Talk about the power of suggestion...

      1. blondepoet profile image66
        blondepoetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

        Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn...yawn..what did you say Mikel. smile
        Zzzzzzz

        1. drej2522 profile image68
          drej2522posted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Dammit..I did the same damn thing!

          Yaaaaaaaaaawn!

  2. goldenpath profile image67
    goldenpathposted 14 years ago

    HISTORY OF THE YAWN

    Pure instinct of the species.  Once upon a time a great Neanderthal named Sabertooth Jones saw his child, Little Tadpole, crying from a piece of walrus meat stuck in his tooth.  Jones took him to the Neanderthal Dentist, Dr. Tyranasaurus Humphrey, who told Little Tadpole to sit in his chair which also served as a table for cleaning pre-historic swamp rats.  The doctor could not find the cause of all the pain and, therefore, decided to try a proper diet.  Humphrey, then presented Tadpole with a monstrous ancient chocolate bar.  After that, Humphrey's mouth remained in such position ready for that chocolate.  The family, too, were introduced with the chocolate bar and were equally enthused at it's wonderful taste.  It also served to tune their killer insticts when on the hunt for indigenous amphibian whales.  So the family started the mutation of mankind's great trek into yawning, the secret gene that has it's beginnings into the great delight in chocolate.  The End!  smile

  3. SeenButNotHeard profile image59
    SeenButNotHeardposted 14 years ago

    It's a psychological thing, I think, but I like goldenpath's story better big_smile

  4. profile image0
    Onusonusposted 14 years ago

    It's a medical fact that when you suck in an overextended ammount of air, it creates a vacuum in the room causing the normal atmospheric pressure to be reduced, therefore upsetting the natural balance of the nearest victim's diaphram. Thus causing the need for more oxygen to fill the space that the body is used to.
    Further, if enough people yawned at the same time in a small enough space, everyones internal organs would spew out of their mouths and they would all die.
    Can I get the nurse to confirm this?big_smile

  5. profile image0
    blatvaposted 14 years ago

    Power of Empathy, is more like it.  I've always thought it was an empathetic response...

  6. profile image0
    ralwusposted 14 years ago

    I have discovered it is nothing more than spooks jumping from one person to the other looking for a place to hatch another spook.

  7. mikelong profile image60
    mikelongposted 14 years ago

    I got my cat to yawn....

    1. profile image0
      ralwusposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      funny that. it is a threat display to them. LOL

  8. mikelong profile image60
    mikelongposted 14 years ago

    He knows I pose no threat...his yawns (now I'm yawning) have spawned yawns of my own as well..

 
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