Contagious Yawning...

kennyc · 09-16-2010, 07:41 AM

Interesting:

ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2010) — If someone near you yawns, do you yawn, too? About half of adults yawn after someone else does in a phenomenon called contagious yawning. Now a new study has found that most children aren't susceptible to contagious yawning until they're about 4 years old -- and that children with autism are less likely to yawn contagiously than others......

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0915080427.htm

Sparrow · 09-16-2010, 08:31 AM

It's a shame it doesn't persist.
You could yawn, and set someone else off, then you they set you off, so you yawn again and that sets them off again....

Come to think of it; I've just been describing our team meetings.

Javed · 09-16-2010, 09:12 AM

I tend to yawn when someone around me does.

I found this also at ScienceDaily:

University of Albany researchers suggest that yawning does not promote sleep but helps mitigate the need to sleep. Since yawning occurs when brain temperature rises, sending cool blood to the brain serves to maintain optimal levels of mental efficiency. Therefore, the psychologists say, when mental processing slows and someone yawns, the tendency for other people to yawn contagiously might have evolved to promote group vigilance as a means of detecting danger.

happy_terd · 09-16-2010, 09:36 AM

Didn't myth busters do an episode on this? I didn't watch it but I am curious about their experiments.

kennyc · 09-16-2010, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

....
Come to think of it; I've just been describing our team meetings.

FlorenceArt · 09-16-2010, 11:10 AM

I remember reading some years ago about a study on yawn contagion among apes. The details are a bit fuzzy but I think they established that there was contagion. The article mentioned a possible next step of the study, to find out whether trans-species contagion also occurred: if you see a chimp yawning, will it set you off (or vice versa)? I wonder if they ever got round to that study.

I am a big yawner (hey, the spell checker is not screaming at me, does that mean it's a real word?), and people around me keep complaining about it

Right now, just typing about it makes me want to yawn.

lene1949 · 09-16-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sparrow

It's a shame it doesn't persist.
You could yawn, and set someone else off, then you they set you off, so you yawn again and that sets them off again....

Come to think of it; I've just been describing our team meetings.

Ours, too....

dsvick · 09-16-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Javed

Therefore, the psychologists say, when mental processing slows and someone yawns, the tendency for other people to yawn contagiously might have evolved to promote group vigilance as a means of detecting danger.

I find things like that so cool!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by happy_terd

Didn't myth busters do an episode on this? I didn't watch it but I am curious about their experiments.

They sure did - the results were "plausible"

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I remember reading some years ago about a study on yawn contagion among apes. The details are a bit fuzzy but I think they established that there was contagion. The article mentioned a possible next step of the study, to find out whether trans-species contagion also occurred: if you see a chimp yawning, will it set you off (or vice versa)? I wonder if they ever got round to that study.

The interesting thing to know is how far reaching is the effect? 10 feet? 20? Same room? What if you are only a foot away but in a different room?

FlorenceArt · 09-16-2010, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dsvick

The interesting thing to know is how far reaching is the effect? 10 feet? 20? Same room? What if you are only a foot away but in a different room?

I think I remember they tried it remotely, with one chimp watching the other yawn on TV, and it worked. But it was a long time ago, I may be wrong.

dsvick · 09-16-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I think I remember they tried it remotely, with one chimp watching the other yawn on TV, and it worked. But it was a long time ago, I may be wrong.

It would be cool if it worked from a distance and didn't have to be seen. Like if I yawn in my office and the guy next door in his yawns in response without even knowing why.

09-16-2010, 07:41 AM	#1
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,897 Karma: 119230421 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Contagious Yawning... Interesting: ScienceDaily (Sep. 15, 2010) — If someone near you yawns, do you yawn, too? About half of adults yawn after someone else does in a phenomenon called contagious yawning. Now a new study has found that most children aren't susceptible to contagious yawning until they're about 4 years old -- and that children with autism are less likely to yawn contagiously than others...... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0915080427.htm

09-16-2010, 08:31 AM	#2
Sparrow Wizard Posts: 4,395 Karma: 1358132 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: Palm TX, CyBook Gen3	It's a shame it doesn't persist. You could yawn, and set someone else off, then you they set you off, so you yawn again and that sets them off again.... Come to think of it; I've just been describing our team meetings.

09-16-2010, 09:12 AM	#3
Javed Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,270 Karma: 1126878541 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Astak Pocket PRO, iPod Touch, PRS-650	I tend to yawn when someone around me does. I found this also at ScienceDaily: University of Albany researchers suggest that yawning does not promote sleep but helps mitigate the need to sleep. Since yawning occurs when brain temperature rises, sending cool blood to the brain serves to maintain optimal levels of mental efficiency. Therefore, the psychologists say, when mental processing slows and someone yawns, the tendency for other people to yawn contagiously might have evolved to promote group vigilance as a means of detecting danger.

09-16-2010, 09:36 AM	#4
happy_terd Banned Posts: 13,045 Karma: 10105011 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Finally made it to Walmart. Device: PRS 420	Didn't myth busters do an episode on this? I didn't watch it but I am curious about their experiments.

09-16-2010, 11:10 AM	#6
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	I remember reading some years ago about a study on yawn contagion among apes. The details are a bit fuzzy but I think they established that there was contagion. The article mentioned a possible next step of the study, to find out whether trans-species contagion also occurred: if you see a chimp yawning, will it set you off (or vice versa)? I wonder if they ever got round to that study. I am a big yawner (hey, the spell checker is not screaming at me, does that mean it's a real word?), and people around me keep complaining about it Right now, just typing about it makes me want to yawn.

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