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The insuppressible nature of oscitation or yawning leaves us with a few questions, among which the number one is why is yawning contagious. An average adult can yawn more than 20 times a day, but what makes this phenomenon intriguing is its power to be infectious. Why someone yawns after seeing somebody else yawn is a mystery that is deeply seated in the anthropological development of human beings as a species.
Yawning is something that most vertebrates do, and according to some experts, it started as a reflex action around the time jawed fish evolved around 400 million years ago. The reflex action happens spontaneously for the regulation of the internal systems of the body. Anthropologically, it might have a connection with the social animal trying to protect its tribe.
Why do we yawn?
The reflex of oscitation occurs primarily to demarcate the changes between the transitional states of sleep and wakefulness. However, this is not the only reason that makes us yawn.
Certain studies have indicated that yawning makes the system alert. This phenomenon is also known as cortical arousal. Yawning can also happen due to an increase or shift in brain temperature. So, it could be said that yawning is a way for the body to regulate the temperature in the brain.
Yawning engages your facial and neck muscles, which in turn stimulate the carotid artery. This leads to an increase in heart rate, helping your brain move into an alert and active state.
Why is yawning contagious?
There could be a couple of reasons why we yawn when we see someone else yawn. The primary cause that makes yawning contagious is a phenomenon known as "echopraxia." This is defined as the involuntary or impulsive mimicking of certain behaviors and actions by a person when they see someone else do it. This happens when one is sensitive to certain reflexes.
Echopraxial movements are brought about by "mirror neurons" in the brain, which are a group of neurons located in the inferior frontal gyrus. These may be responsible for influencing imitative behaviors.
Certain experts in the field are of the opinion that yawning emerged as an action of synchronized group behavior. It could have been a device for increased vigilance. Since yawning can make us more alert, the idea could be that men used each other’s responses as indicators to be in a more alert state by mimicking yawning.
This was perhaps done to keep the brain more vigilant. A recent study in 2022 shows that since yawning helps to wake the body up, our bodies too might involuntarily respond to somebody else yawning as a measure to protect ourselves. This stands to be an evolutionary behavior. Thus, it makes the action of yawning contagious.
What are the causes for yawning too much?
Excessive yawning is generally associated with sleep deprivation or stress factors that might require you to take steps in order to relax your system. Other physical causes might include exhaustion, fatigue, body temperature fluctuations, or stimulation of the vagus nerve that could cause excessive yawning.
Emotional reasons such as depression and anxiety can also cause excessive yawning. This also makes yawning contagious to those suffering from such conditions. At times, life-threatening causes such as tumors and strokes can cause frequent yawning too.
Be it whatever reason that makes yawning contagious, it is one of the most unique and fun things that happen to our bodies. Excessive yawning can be associated with sleep disorders in most cases, but it can also occur out of fatigue or boredom. However, if you find yourself yawning too much at odd hours, do make sure to consult a medical expert, lest there be an underlying cause.
