Why is yawning contagious

Many people have noticed an interesting phenomenon: when one person yawns, people around him often "imitate" him one after another. This is actually an interesting psychological phenomenon.

Researchers at the State University of New York found that when people are tired, the carbon dioxide in the blood increases, stimulating the respiratory center in the brain and causing deep breathing activities, that is, yawning. By replenishing a large amount of oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide at one time, the blood oxygen concentration can be restored to maintain normal brain function. Exaggerated facial movements can help relax muscles and relieve fatigue.

Humans are social animals, and individual survival is based on understanding the behavior, motivations, and emotions of others. Research shows that the first stage of understanding other people's intentions is not logical thinking, but seeing other people's behavior with your eyes and imitating it in your brain, just like looking in a mirror. This process is called the "mimicry reflex". In situations where one is prone to fatigue, such as a long meeting, if one person yawns, then everyone who sees this process will imitate it in their brain and "remind" themselves that they can use the same method to relieve sleepiness. So, yawning became "contagious". Based on this principle, behaviors such as clearing the throat and blinking the eyes can also be contagious.

In addition, Dr. Morrison of the University of Leeds in the UK found that people who are prone to contagious yawning are more empathetic and have better social skills.