It's a fact that humans yawn several times a day, especially in the morning and evening. The science behind yawning isn't a fast-paced industry because most researchers believe that it's a function that has many causes or triggers. Narrowing down the reasons why humans yawn may be difficult, but most people understand that there's some mimicry or contagious factor in play. When you yawn, someone nearby may yawn too. Take a moment to learn about yawning and why it's mimicked among most intelligent organisms.
The Myth of Extra Oxygen
In the past, researchers believed that the yawning process was a mechanism to bring more oxygen into the body. When you saw a person yawn, your body responded at a primitive level to take in more oxygen too. Yawning involves a huge intake of air, but with little exhalation afterward. Although this hypothesis was a strong one, today's researchers understand that the bloodstream doesn't actually reflect an increase in oxygen after a yawn. Basic breathing is all that's necessary. With this fact in mind, researchers looked for other reasons why humans yawn and its contagious nature.
Your Hot Brain
The latest research suggests that yawning is meant to cool your brain. Your mind uses a lot of energy, and that fact makes it run hot. The scalp helps you release heat to the atmosphere through sweating. At times, however, your brain needs another mechanism to cool off. Yawning simply offers another cooling outlet. Mimicking a yawn means that your subconscious mind is keeping up with the surroundings. If another person is yawning, your brain may need cooling off too.
Cooling Off
The brain cools off with yawns by accessing the incoming air. As you yawn, cool air moves into the nasal passageways where it can move through the sinuses. The bones and tissues cool off to a certain extent, which ultimately affects your brain.
Environmental Cues and Circadian Rhythms
The body uses circadian rhythms throughout the day to keep up with waking-and-sleeping patterns. As you wake up, the brain starts its hard work for the day. Your brain's temperature rises high enough that a yawn may be necessary to cool it off. Researchers wondered at that point about bedtime yawns. It was presumed that the brain cools off in the evening, but it actually warms up as bedtime approaches. When you mimic yawns brought on by the circadian rhythms, it's a way to keep your body on track with waking and sleeping too.
The Empathetic Mind
A major part of mimicked yawning is your ability to have empathy for others. From a social aspect, you yawn with another person because you can put yourself in their shoes. This human connection means that you can relate to the acquaintance on a primitive level even if you don't know the person.
As you grow into your senior years, you'll have more time to contemplate some of these yawning scenarios. Think about your surroundings when you yawn along with the time of day. When it's possible to yawn around an average of eight times a day, observing your own behavior becomes a lesson in science and empathy.
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