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You are in the office and your coworker yawns. Even though you don’t feel sleepy and didn’t feel like yawning before, suddenly you do now. Is it true that yawning is contagious? It turns out that yes, you can “catch” a yawn.
The contagion of yawning is likely due to an empathic connection that adults feel towards others, and the phenomenon is known as ecophenomena.
So yes, yawning is contagious, but why is a bit more complicated than feeling that empathic connection with another person. Reyan Saghir, MBBS, BSc (Hons), spoke with very easy and explained that yawning triggers “mirror neurons” that fire after seeing someone yawn and encourages us to imitate it.
In fact, according to Saghir, it is impossible to resist because our brain does not allow it. Also, when someone has a strong social or emotional connection to someone, such as a family member or best friend, they are more likely to yawn because of that empathic connection.
However, not everyone has this reflex. People with autism spectrum disorder or those with conditions that impair social development are less likely to yawn. The same is true for children whose brains are still developing psychosocial connections.
The next time you’re having dinner with your family or sitting next to your best friend at the office and someone yawns, you’ll probably feel one coming at you. Just know that it’s totally natural, and no, you’re not making it all up in your head.
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