• Question: When someone yawns and we see them yawn why do we yawn?

    Asked by DonaR to Cristina, Gemma, Loan, Michael, Praveen on 12 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by gabs, caitx.
    • Photo: Cristina Villa del Campo

      Cristina Villa del Campo answered on 12 Nov 2015:

      Hi Dona,
      Just reading about yawning makes me yawn! I had to do some research on this one! I think phycologists studying this are not 100% sure. What I knew was that it is related to empathy, which is our ability to feel what other people are feeling (like when someone cries and you cry for example). I think psychologists are not even sure that is true at the moment but is the most recent hypothesis.

    • Photo: Gemma Barron

      Gemma Barron answered on 12 Nov 2015:

      Hi @DonaR,
      Thank you for your interesting question. Like Cristina I had to do some research to answer your question but, yawning is still thought to be contagious. Scientists are still trying to find out what makes us yawn and why we do it when we see some else, hear someone else or read about yawning. I just yawned now writing my answer! 🙂 Like Cristina said, it is related to empathy – where we connect with another person’s emotional state and we actually learn this behaviour when we are very young. To get a proper scientific answer, I think that we would definitely need to speak to a psychologist who would be able to provide us all with a much more detailed answer.
      I hope that helps to answer your question. Thanks, Gemma

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