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Common Yawning Theories - Common Yawning Theories | HowStuffWorks

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Common Yawning Theories - Common Yawning Theories | HowStuffWorks

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While fatigue, drowsiness or boredom easily bring on yawns, scientists are discovering there's more to yawning than most people think. Not much is known about why we yawn or if it serves any useful function, and very little research has been done on the subject. However, there are several theories about why we yawn. Here are the four most common:

The physiological theory: Our bodies induce yawning to draw in more oxygen or remove a buildup of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups. Larger groups produce more carbon dioxide, which means our bodies would act to draw in more oxygen and get rid of the excess carbon dioxide. However, if our bodies make us yawn to draw in needed oxygen, wouldn't we yawn during exercise? Robert Provine, a developmental neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a leading expert on yawning, has tested this theory: Giving people additional oxygen didn't decrease yawning, and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in a subject's environment also didn't prevent yawning [source: University of Washington].

The evolution theory: Some think that yawning began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others. An offshoot of this theory is the idea that yawning developed from early man as a signal for us to change activities [source: University of Washington].

The boredom theory: Although we do tend to yawn when bored or tired, this theory doesn't explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event or why dogs tend to yawn just before they attack. It's doubtful either is bored [source: Patterson].

The brain-cooling theory: A more recent theory proposed by researchers is that since p eople yawn more in situations where their brains are likely to be warmer -- tested by having some subjects breathe through their noses or press hot or cold packs to their foreheads -- it's a way to cool down their brains. What does it matter if our brains are cold or hot? Cool brains can think more clearly; hence, yawning might have developed to keep us alert [source: Nagourney].

So now that we have an idea of what causes yawning, let's look at why seeing someone yawn might make us yawn, too.

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While fatigue, drowsiness or boredom easily bring on yawns, scientists are discovering there's more to yawning than most people think. Not much is known about why we yawn or if it serves any useful function, and very little research has been done on the subject. However, there are several theories about why we yawn.

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Why do we yawn? Nothing to do with boredom - we're just cooling our brains, say scientists | The Independent

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Why do we yawn? Nothing to do with boredom - we're just cooling our brains, say scientists | The Independent

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This is a credible source for several reasons. First of all indepentdent.co.uk has nothing to gain if I learn why we yawn. Second of all I have checked some other sites and they provide similar information. Lastly, it is a named source and if it was false information everyone would know who to blame.

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A new study has suggested that the reason we yawn has nothing to do with tiredness or boredom, but actually works in order to cool down our brains and help us think a little clearer.

Like any computer the brain has an optimal working temperature and when it becomes too hot yawning helps cool it down, increasing both the heart rate and blood flow while delivering a big gulp of air to the head, cooling the blood in that area.

Previously it's been thought that yawning served a respiratory function, helping to wake us up with a jolt of oxygen when we were feeling sluggish, but studies have shown that yawning doesn't actually increase oxygen levels in the body; something that tallies with the simple observation that we don't yawn when we exercise, a time when we definitely need more oxygen.

So why do we yawn when we're tired? Well, both sleep deprivation and exhaustion are known to increase brain temperature, so while it's true that we yawn to combat lack of sleep, yawns don't make us 'more awake' but instead help keep our brains operating at the right temperature.

Researchers from the University of Vienna observed pedestrians' yawning habits in both Austria and the US and found that contagious yawning was most frequent in a 'thermal window' when it was cold enough outside for the yawned air to cool the body down, but not so cold (or so hot) that the air would have harmful consequences. This meant that citizens in sweltering Arizona yawned more in winter while in chilly Vienna they yawned more in summer.

The research, published this May, tallies with a number of previous studies such as one from the University of Albany that found that contagious yawning could be directly influenced using hot and cold packs. Researchers found that subjects watching a video of people yawning were 41 per cent likely to yawn themselves when holding warm pack to their head, but only nine per cent likely to yawn when holding a cold pack.

This theory of yawning-as-thermoregulation also tallies with explanations of the behaviour as 'positively contagious'; aka a herd behaviour that helps keep every member of the group alert, as well as having the beneficial side effect of stretching out bodies to keep them limber (word fact: yawning accompanied by stretching is known as 'pandiculation').

Our susceptibility to contagious yawning is also affected by our capacity for empathy. Studies have shown that contagious yawning first begins in children at the same age as they learn to identify others' emotions (about 4 to 5 years old) and that children with autism (a neural condition that impairs social interaction) are less likely to yawn when shown videos of others yawning.

Yawning is so contagious that we only need to read about it to want to yawn ourselves. In fact, you've probably yawned at least once since reading this article. At least we know that that's not because you're bored - in fact, thanks to the yawning and your newly-cooled brain, you're probably more alert than you were before.

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Why do we yawn? Nothing to do with boredom - we're just cooling our

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A new study has suggested that the reason we yawn has nothing to do with tiredness or boredom, but actually works in order to cool down our brains and help us think a little clearer.

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Here's What Happens In Your Body When You Yawn (At Least In Theory) | HuffPost

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Here's What Happens In Your Body When You Yawn (At Least In Theory) | HuffPost

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Welcome to Ask Healthy Living -- in which you submit your most burning health questions and we do our best to ask the experts and get back to you. Have a question? Get in touch here and you could appear on Healthy Living!
"Ask Healthy Living" is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.
What happens to the body when you yawn and why do we yawn?
-- Teresa

The earliest theory of yawning, laid forth by Hippocrates, suggested that the action sucks in "good" air while pushing out bad air. That isn't too far off from the theory that dominated the last century, which is that yawning delivers an extra hit of energy-boosting oxygen while helping usher out carbon dioxide. But although commonly accepted, that theory has been contradicted by research, which shows that those who need more oxygen -- including exercisers and people with oxygen-depriving medical conditions -- don't yawn more than the average person.

Yawning remains a bit of a mystery, perhaps because -- pitted against deadly diseases -- it is a low priority for medical research funding, suggests Steven M. Platek, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Ga., who studies contagious yawning.

While the medical community has not yet settled on a definitive explanation, the most commonly agreed upon and promising theory (and by promising, we mean the hypothesis has been confirmed in all studies and contradicted by none, but research is not yet conclusive) is that a yawn is triggered by a rise in brain temperature.

"Brains are metabolically costly," explains Platek. "They're the size of a grapefruit but they consume 40 percent of our metabolic energy. And the brain runs hot."

Researchers have found that yawning has a cooling effect on the brain, preventing it from getting overheated, which can diminish alertness. Core brain temperatures rise when we're tired, when we're unstimulated (read: bored), and among other circumstances such as hot ambient temperatures or infections.

"Brain temperatures are determined by three variables: rate of arterial blood flow, the temperature of the blood and the metabolic heat production within the brain," explains Andrew C. Gallup, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at SUNY College at Oneonta and a lead author on several studies about thermoregulation and yawning. "So yawning may function in altering the first two variables: increasing arterial blood flow and allowing the flow of cooler blood to the brain."

To answer the question of what happens in the body is fairly straightforward: When you yawn, your mouth gapes open and you inhale deeply, finishing with a short exhalation. During this time, the muscles around your skull contract and stretch and you take in ambient air. New, cooler blood is pushed toward the skull as warmer venous blood is pushed out.

"That action increases cerebral blood flow to the brain and to the skull and, at same time, it forces the warmer venous blood away from the skull," explains Gallup. "The muscle stretching increases circulation to that area."

Secondary behaviors, like stretching out your arms or throwing your head back as you yawn, also function as cooling techniques as ambient air hits the under-arm area, points out Platek. What's more, these full-body stretches prep your muscles for quick action, contributing to the overall push toward alertness that comes from the cooler brain temperature.

In a research review of thermoregulation and yawning published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, Gallup and his colleague Omar T. Eldakar found that rises in brain temperature preceded yawns in both humans and rats, and that brain temperatures went down following a yawn. They also found research that demonstrated how yawns are more frequent when ambient temperatures are high (contributing to high brain temperatures), but actually decrease when they are so high that they exceed internal brain temperatures, thus rendering the ambient air useless in the service of cooling the brain.

Brain thermoregulation has been an important component in the study of human evolution. Platek points to the work of anthropologist Dean Falk, who specializes in paleoneurology and whose radiator hypothesis suggests that our ancestors' brains began to grow to their current powerhouse size after they developed cranial veins that help cool the brain, allowing for the larger, more complex and metabolically costly brains we now possess.

The thermoregulation hypothesis for yawning only explains the root cause of what's known as "spontaneous yawning." Much of the research done on the subject actually focuses on contagious yawning -- a phenomenon in which we yawn in response to watching someone else do it (and can even yawn from just hearing mention of the action). What's more, we are even more likely to yawn when we watch a close friend or family member do so.

Most of the research on contagious yawning (though a recent paper questioned this connection) has focused on the role of a low-level, primal type of empathy. Think, Platek suggests, of a televised sporting event: If you watch a football player get a terrible sports injury on TV, you might flinch.

And from an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense: Initiating a yawn contributes to the group's communal alertness. "If one member of a group yawns, it's indicative of something that you should be doing," theorizes Platek. Since contagious yawns are physiologically identical to spontaneous ones, they both serve the same purposes.

Interestingly, people with autism or schizotypal personality disorder -- neurological conditions characterized by a lack of not just compassion and cognitive empathy, but also this low-level empathy -- do not catch yawns as frequently.

So why do you yawn? It could be to cool down your hard-working brain or improve alertness -- or it could simply be because you watched someone else do it. Or maybe you're yawning right now as you read this.

Watch the video below to learn more:
Have a question? Ask Healthy Living!

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Here's What Happens In Your Body When You Yawn

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Welcome to Ask Healthy Living -- in which you submit your most burning health questions and we do our best to ask the experts and get back to you. Have a question? Get in touch here and you could appear on Healthy Living!

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This is a credible source, because again time.com is not gaining something if I learn this new information. It is also credible because I have found similar information on other website, for example, https://www.seeker.com/why-is-yawning-contagious-1765108386.html.

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The phenomenon of contagious yawning doesn't mean you need more sleep. But it might signal that you're attuned to the emotions of others.

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I don't think this is a credible source because all of the people that answered didn't have any real authority on this topic. These people did say similar things but none of them were named anyway. Now, I know that they have nothing to gain if I learn how to yawn but I still think that the reasons this isn't credible are bigger than the reasons it is.

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I just realised I needed to yawn. Then I started thinking about it and have been trying to force myself to yawn. I kind of get half way but my brain decided it doesn't want to let me yawn. Anyone else had this? Yawning is easy when you're doing it involuntarily.What's a solution to make me yawn?

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Even thinking about yawning can cause you to do it. It's something everybody does, including animals, and you shouldn't try to stifle it because when you yawn, it's because your body needs it. It's one of the most contagious, uncontrollable actions a body does.

There are many theories as to why people yawn. One popular theory is that yawning helps your body bring in more oxygen. But this theory has been mostly debunked. Keep reading to see what current research suggests yawning says about you, your brain temperature, and your potential for empathy.

Causes of yawning, even if you're not tired

The most scientifically backed theory about why we yawn is brain temperature regulation. A 2014 study published in Physiology & Behavior looked at the yawning habits of 120 people and found that yawning occurred less during the winter. If the brain's temperature gets too far outside of the norm, inhaling air can help cool it down.

You may also find yourself yawning more if you get migraines. During a migraine, your blood clots in your brain. Yawning helps to cool your brain down from that clotting.

Another reason you may yawn is because the body wants to wake itself up. The motion helps stretch the lungs and their tissues, and it allows the body to flex its muscles and joints. It may also force blood toward your face and brain to increase alertness.

Yawning is definitely contagious. Even videos of people doing it can trigger a yawning session. Try watching the video below and see if you end up yawning. We'll tell you what it might mean after.

If you did catch a yawn, then according to a study from Baylor University, it's a good thing. You're showing empathy and bonding.

The study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, looked at 135 college students, their personalities, and how they reacted to different facial movements. The results showed that the less empathy a person had, the less likely he or she would yawn after seeing someone else yawn.

It's important to note that these results can't be generalized. Not "catching" a yawn isn't evidence for psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies.

1. Try deep breathing

If you feel yourself yawning excessively, try deep breathing exercises through your nose. Your body may need more oxygen. One study also found that nasal breathing decreased contagious yawning completely in their research.

For better quality sleep

Exercise more.

Avoid or limit caffeine and alcohol.

Build a sleep schedule and stick to it.

Create a comfortable sleep environment before bedtime.

2. Get moving

Breaking up a routine can also help stimulate your brain. Feelings of tiredness, boredom, and stress tend to make people yawn more. Excessive yawning may also stem from taking in too much caffeine and going through an opiate detox.

3. Cool yourself down

You can also try taking a walk outside or finding a space with a cooler temperature. If you don't have time to do this, drink some cool water or eat a chilled snack, such as fruits or baby carrots.
Read more: How to make a cold compress "

Should you see a doctor for yawning 'too much'?

You should see a doctor if you feel like you're yawning more than usual and experiencing additional symptoms that interfere with your day-to-day activities. Tell your doctor when the yawning started and about other symptoms, such as mind fog, pain in certain areas, or even lack of sleep. This information can help your doctor diagnose the underlying condition and make treatment recommendations based on individual needs.

There are many theories behind why we yawn. Recent studies and research suggest it's a way our body regulates brain temperature. You may also find yourself yawning more if you didn't get enough sleep and feel tired.

Read our tips on sleep hygiene for better quality sleep here.

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Even thinking about yawning can cause you to do it. It's something everybody does, including animals, and you shouldn't try to stifle it because when you yawn, it's because your body needs it. It's one of the most contagious, uncontrollable actions a body does. There are many theories as to why people yawn.