When You Just Can't Help It
Today an interesting query was brought to my attention...why are yawns contagious? Good question! And has anyone ever been able to answer it with any kind of certainty? I have decided to make it my own personal goal for today to try and find out.
Here are 12 Hypothesized reasons for yawning:
1. The deep inhalation during a yawn is a means of preventing alveolar collapse.
2. The deep inhalation while yawning stretches type II alveolar pneumocytes, which release the surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) into the layer of fluid on the alveolar surface.
3. A means of cooling the brain.
4. An action used as an unconscious communication of psychological decompression and stress after a state of high alert.
5. An excess of carbon dioxide and lack of oxygen in the blood.
6. A way of displaying (or indicative of) apathy.
7. Tiredness.
8. A means of equalizing middle ear pressure.
9. Need of food/drink or hunger/appetite due to reduced level of glucose supplied to the brain.
10. To cool the body, such as after repeated exercise.
11. To moisten and lubricate the sclera and cornea of the eye, or stimulate the tear ducts.
12. To purge the lymphatic system before or after sleep
Interesting! So, now that we know what it is and the possible reasons for why we preform this act...why in the heck is it so contagious?? Well that's just it, with all the studies that people have done delving into why it is that when we see someone yawn real big we feel the need to duplicate that motion, no one has been able to find a satisfactory explanation. On top of the fact that scientists can't figure out why it's contagious and perhaps making it more difficult to pin point it is the fact that it seems to be a subconscious action.[1]
According to Finnish researchers we've got something called mirror neurons. These neurons become active both when their "owner" does something and when that person senses someone else doing the exact same thing. But sadly, these don't have anything to do with why we yawn when we see someone else do it. So there goes one theory down the tubes. After much research one of the scientists decided that: "it seems to be an 'automatically' released (and most likely very archaic) motor pattern."[1] But what does all this mean? Well as far as I personally can translate, it's not our brain's fault that we can't help but yawn whenever we see someone else doing it, apparently it's a subconscious reaction to a stimulus and we have no choice but to act.
I just hate unsolveable mysteries.
[1]-http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050309_yawnfrm.htm
(haha! I couldn't stop myself from yawning when I looked at this picture!)
First, what is a yawn? According to wikipedia a yawn is :a reflex of simultaneous inhalation of air and stretching of the eardrums, followed by exhalation of breath. Cool, so why exactly do we perform this act? Again I turned to wikipedia...Here are 12 Hypothesized reasons for yawning:
1. The deep inhalation during a yawn is a means of preventing alveolar collapse.
2. The deep inhalation while yawning stretches type II alveolar pneumocytes, which release the surfactant dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) into the layer of fluid on the alveolar surface.
3. A means of cooling the brain.
4. An action used as an unconscious communication of psychological decompression and stress after a state of high alert.
5. An excess of carbon dioxide and lack of oxygen in the blood.
6. A way of displaying (or indicative of) apathy.
7. Tiredness.
8. A means of equalizing middle ear pressure.
9. Need of food/drink or hunger/appetite due to reduced level of glucose supplied to the brain.
10. To cool the body, such as after repeated exercise.
11. To moisten and lubricate the sclera and cornea of the eye, or stimulate the tear ducts.
12. To purge the lymphatic system before or after sleep
Interesting! So, now that we know what it is and the possible reasons for why we preform this act...why in the heck is it so contagious?? Well that's just it, with all the studies that people have done delving into why it is that when we see someone yawn real big we feel the need to duplicate that motion, no one has been able to find a satisfactory explanation. On top of the fact that scientists can't figure out why it's contagious and perhaps making it more difficult to pin point it is the fact that it seems to be a subconscious action.[1]
According to Finnish researchers we've got something called mirror neurons. These neurons become active both when their "owner" does something and when that person senses someone else doing the exact same thing. But sadly, these don't have anything to do with why we yawn when we see someone else do it. So there goes one theory down the tubes. After much research one of the scientists decided that: "it seems to be an 'automatically' released (and most likely very archaic) motor pattern."[1] But what does all this mean? Well as far as I personally can translate, it's not our brain's fault that we can't help but yawn whenever we see someone else doing it, apparently it's a subconscious reaction to a stimulus and we have no choice but to act.
I just hate unsolveable mysteries.
[1]-http://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050309_yawnfrm.htm
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