Why Do We Yawn, and Why Are Yawns Contagious?
The curiously contagious yawn and its function are mysteries that have had researchers stumped. There are clues that yawning might be a leftover habit from our earliest times.
Yawning reveals more about you than you might think. Tiredness and boredom are the obvious triggers for an arms-outstretched, wide-mouthed yawn, but nervousness and worry are also causes—and why you might see an athlete yawning just before a big race. Even sexual arousal can set off yawns—so don’t be offended in a moment of intimacy!
So what does yawning do for us? This is a puzzle that researchers never tire of trying to solve. Some myths have been dispelled: low oxygen levels don’t trigger a yawn, and ...
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