Why is yawning contagious? 

Key points: 

• Frequency of Yawning: People yawn approximately 20 times a day, and seeing someone yawn may start the same response in others due to a phenomenon called social mirroring.

• Possible Reasons for Yawning: While experts don't agree on the main reason for yawning, some propose that it may be linked to tiredness. Yawning is thought to help the body take in more oxygen and expel carbon dioxide, potentially serving as a signal related to tiredness and fatigue.

People yawn around 20 times a day. When you see someone yawn, you might yawn too, and it's hard to stop. But why does this happen?

Experts don't agree on why we yawn, but some think it's related to being tired. When we're tired, we might not take deep breaths, and this can cause more carbon dioxide in our bodies. Yawning helps us take in more oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. It might also be a way to send signals in our body that make us yawn.

Some say yawning cools the brain, while others think it helps stretch our organs. Animals with bigger brains tend to yawn more, and many animals, like birds and reptiles, also yawn.

Yawning is contagious. When we see someone yawn, we might yawn too. This could be because of something called social mirroring. Our brains have neurons that make us imitate what others do. For example, if someone scratches their face, we might feel like scratching ours too.

In studies with mice, they imitated scratching when they saw another mouse do it. This kind of imitation might help save energy and protect against diseases. It's also a way for animals, including humans, to communicate and strengthen social bonds. So, when someone smiles at us, we might smile back without even thinking about it. It's a form of social communication, and people who are more empathetic are more likely to do this social mirroring.