Wes Bucey
15th July 2006, 01:56 AM
I started scrolling through these photos of celebrities caught in mid yawn for a laugh, but soon found myself involuntarily yawning.
http://www.sky.com/showbiz/picture_gallery/0,,50002-1190356-35,00.html
What happened with you? Do you have a "rational" explanation regardless of whether you yawned or not?
samer
15th July 2006, 02:17 AM
No , I slept 9 hours yesterady,and it is morning here ,no way.........:)
ScottK
15th July 2006, 09:29 AM
I believe the Mythbusters did a bit on this...
Haven't seen that episode yet though.
Ron Rompen
15th July 2006, 11:22 AM
:sleep:
Oops....sorry, dozed off for a second there...what was the question again?
Yes, i find yawns VERY contagious.....and now I can't stop!!!!!
:lmao: :bonk: :frust:
Crusader
15th July 2006, 01:35 PM
The pictures aren't enough. Has be in-person then I'll yawn uncontrollably! :D
Laura M
17th July 2006, 12:46 AM
Wes - you do need a life....:D (please take as intended)
But yes, in person yawning is contagious. IMO. OR - the entire gang has hung out long enough to all be tired (deprived of oxygen is real reason for yawn, right?) at the same time.
I voted 'contagious'
Baldrick
17th July 2006, 08:44 AM
Contagious - definitely.
This is from Wikipedia (some of the assertions are cross-referenced in the original article):
The yawn reflex is often described as contagious: if one person yawns, this will cause another person to "sympathetically" yawn. The reasons for this are unclear; however, recent research suggests that yawning might be a herd instinct.
Other theories suggest that the yawn serves to synchronize mood behavior among gregarious animals, similar to the howling of the wolf pack during a full moon. It signals tiredness to other members of the group in order to synchronize sleeping patterns and periods of activity. It can serve as a warning in displaying large, canine teeth. This phenomenon has been observed among various primates. The threat gesture is a way of maintaining order in the primates' social structure.
The contagion of yawning is interspecific (i.e., try yawning in front of your dog). Yawning in public is generally regarded as impolite in the West, but came into fashion in polite French society for a brief period in the late 18th century.
Oddly, sometimes sympathetic yawning may be caused by simply looking at a picture of a person or animal yawning, or even seeing the word "yawn".
