Turbo2

Never been able to work that one out. Any clever people on here know better?

David Lock

I've always wondered that

Similarly I find it hard to resist a smile/laugh if I see a baby giggling!!

d

Midlife......

iTrader: (2)

Lots of theories, the one I think holds out the most promise is that it's a behaviour modification trait from our days living in caves.

As everyone had to rest at the same time..... if one caveman yawned then they all ended up yawning and falling asleep at about the same time.

Lots of others about flushing out Carbon dioxide but I like the caveman theory best

Shaun

BOB.T

I like to combine a nice stretch with a morning yawn...don't stretch with a night yawn though.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I reckon there is just one yawn in the world and it gets passed round, I came to this conclusion when waiting to turn into the car park at work, a lady coming the other way yawned, I yawned as I turned in and the security guard saw me and yawned, bloke coming in behind me I saw yawn in my rear view mirror cos he had seen the guard yawning.

EddScott

I also think its inter-species too. My cats will yawn if I do and vice versa.

Isn't yawning when your tired and your brain demands more oxygen?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawn

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

I too subscribe to it being a basic instinct handed down by the cave dwellers

boomer

You yawn to balance the air pressure between the inside (nasal passages) and outside (atmosphere) of your eardrum.

Once completed, basic laws of physics (action and reaction, preservation of energy etc.) means that the pressure of the atmosphere will have changed "ever so slightly", which means that everybody else's inner/outer balance is now slightly out of kilter - so they all have yawn to compensate.

You only see the people in your immediate vicinity, be believe me - everybody on the planet will yawn as the ripple effect circumnavigates the globe.

hth

mb

cookie sti

personally i think iots a subconcious follow the leader thingy same as if someone smiles at you 9 out of 10 times your compelled to smile also. i may be wrong but i maybe right who knows

paulwrxboro

ive just yawnd reading this

cookie sti

i did that also oh and farted let me know how that 1 goes lol

StickyMicky

How come cavemen all needed to have a kip at the same time ?

Mark1983

iTrader: (2)

A group is only as strong as the weakest member so if one is tired the group are weaker. If they sleep at the same time they would be less tired, sleep pattern sychronised and therefore a stronger group.

billythekid

A doc once told me we yawn when O2 levels in the blood fall low. Due to being tired we slow our breathing down and O2 can fall (by a tiny %) and our bains tell us to take a deep breath and release it slowly to increase the O2 level.

Then the reason other people do this is because they observe you doing it and to ensure self presevation you do the same, as the O2 levels might be low in the air - its going back to the cave man thing apparently.

So he said, and he is much cleverererer than me..

pimmo2000

iTrader: (6)

TurboKitty

There might be more to your cat yawning when you do than you realise; he could be responding to you intentionally. Yawning is a means of telling a cat you mean him no harm and are not a threat, (much the same as slow blinking).

DYK

It was also known as a way of attracting the opposite sex...

StickyMicky

He just blagged the answer

IIRC nobody has ever proven a reason why we do it

magepaster

iTrader: (2)

That's just about what I was going to say about it.

DYK

But if they all slept at the same time then nobody would be on sentry duty,you know keeping a look out for enemy cavemen...

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

..they used to stick the light sleepers at the front of the cave

DYK

Very good and smart answer...I like it.