When I was a little girl, perhaps 7-8 years old, I was taught to pray to God, probably like a lot of people in the world. Yawning (oscitation) most often occurs in adults immediately before and after sleep, during tedious activities and as a result of its contagious quality. Two classes of yawning have been observed among primates. In humans, yawning is often triggered by the perception that others are yawning (for example, seeing a person yawning, or talking to someone on the phone who is yawning). Anecdotal evidence suggests that yawning helps increase a person's alertness. [12] Observing another person's yawning face (especially his/her eyes), reading or thinking about yawning, or looking at a yawning picture can cause a person to yawn. [53] Dogs demonstrate contagious yawning when exposed to human yawning. Understanding yawning as a warning of the rise in cortisol levels: randomized trial", "The Quest to Design the Perfect Yawn: NPR", "Mirror Neurons and Imitation Learning as the Driving Force Behind 'the Great Leap Forward' in Human Evolution", "Absence of contagious yawning in children with autism spectrum disorder", "Yawn Contagion and Empathy in Homo sapiens", "Auditory Contagious Yawning Is Highest Between Friends and Family Members: Support to the Emotional Bias Hypothesis", "Video-induced yawning in stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides)", "Busting the Mythbusters with Statistics: Are Yawns Contagious? So a yawn may be … This is a typical example of positive feedback. The results of various studies have showed a diminished susceptibility to contagious yawn compared to the control group of typically-developing children. In two experiments, subjects with cold packs attached to their foreheads and subjects asked to breathe strictly-nasally exhibited reduced contagious-yawning when watching videos of people yawning. It indicates an appreciation of other peoples' behavioral and physiological state," says Norris.[27]. In such cases, yawn contagion can be used to evaluate their ability to infer or empathize with others.
MORE: The Bizarre Ways Dieting Messes With Your Brain. controlled by separate mechanisms in the body and brain, 3 Simple Ways To Be A Whole Lot More Empathetic, The Bizarre Ways Dieting Messes With Your Brain, have been linked to problems regulating brain temperature, 7 Weird Signs You Could Have Heart Trouble Down The Road, 4 Things Your Burps Are Trying To Tell You, 6 Things Your Eczema Is Trying To Tell You, 6 Things Your Ears Are Trying To Tell You, 9 Things Your Sweat Is Trying To Tell You, 7 Things Your Muscles Are Trying To Tell You. A yawn causes a big intake of air and a faster heartbeat, which could theoretically mean that it is pumping more oxygen through the body. [citation needed] Specific studies were conducted on chimpanzees[37] and stumptail macaques. Dogs are very adept at reading human communication actions, so it is unclear if this phenomenon is rooted in evolutionary history or a result of domestication.
MORE: 3 Simple Ways To Be A Whole Lot More Empathetic.