• Question: Why do we yawn? x

    Asked by hollynsarah to Gioia, Iain, Jo, Leo, Mariam on 16 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by frank123rous.
    • Photo: Joanna Watson

      Joanna Watson answered on 15 Jun 2010:

      I don’t think anyone really knows why we yawn -there are lots of theories, but I don’t think any of them have been proven to be right yet.

    • Photo: Gioia Cherubini

      Gioia Cherubini answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      I think there are lots of theories, we start understanding a little bit the biology behind it, but we still don’t have an explanation for why we yawn and why it is contagious. One of the theories comes from studying the behaviour of animals. When you yawn, you show your teeth and this could be a sort of warning sign or the other animals in the group: I’m going to sleep, but remember how big my teeth are! Since it’s contagious, also the next animal will yawn/show its teeth. Yawning could therefore be a bonding/warning behaviour..but this is just one theory

    • Photo: Mariam Orme

      Mariam Orme answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      You know what, I don’t know! I once heard a theory that it’s your body’s way of getting in a bit more oxygen, to give you a boost when you’re tired, but I’m not sure if that’s actually true.

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