When a baby is crying on an airplane during takeoff or landing, I visibly and audibly yawn in front of them on purpose, so they catch the yawn and pop their ears.
You're supposed to stay in your seat during take off and landing. Please, remain in your seat. Why do you keep getting out of your seat and silently scream at the babies?!
How to tell if your baby is a sociopath with this one simple trick. For this trick you'll need: a baby, a stranger, an airplane, and the power to suspend all critical thinking.
My entirely uneducated guess would be that its some, very basal, ancient, basically gasping compulsion, that... just never quite fully got patched out by the subsequent tens of millions of years of evolution.
Sort of the behavioral version of vestigal limb, way down at some fundamental nervous system level.
It seems like it helps the brain switch modes (from low activity to high and from high activity to low). So yawning could help prepare the brain to pay attention to something important, as well as wind down for the evening. Hence both morning and evening yawns.
The contagious aspect could be as simple as "Oh, you're changing modes? I should get ready to do the same."
Dogs wag their tails in order to spread their happy pheromones by waving furiously. They unconsciously want everyone to know they are having a good time. When they are scared, they tuck their tail between their legs in order not to spread their stress pheromones by moving the air around their glands.
... anyone who is naturally expressive and has genuine, authentic responses that go against whatever current sociocultural norms are?
Hey, popular person told a dumb, offensive joke, that validates my internal insecurities by projecting derision outward onto some kind of minority group!
(Face twists up into disgust, shock, and maybe pity)
WTF is wrong with you, popular person is funny! We hate you now!
What's that? You're not tired and you haven't seen anyone open their mouth big, but you read about a hypothetical person opening their mouth big? Bad news...
That's okay. You asked for real data. You can find more if you care to search peer reviewed articles. I'm not trying to convince you of anything, just showing that it is a real topic of study.
Can confirm, I do struggle with empathy (more in the autism way than the socio/psychopath way though) and don't really catch yawns from anyone. I will still pretend to yawn when someone else does though, because I know that not doing that will make them subconsciously wary of me
This. I have started to wonder if yawns are actually a way to wake up. We know little about them. Some brain scans showed that we refresh the blood around our brain, like changing the water in a fish bowl.
I used to yawn incessantly during warmups before rugby matches. My coach would yell at me to get my head into the game. I kept telling him it's just what happens when I'm warming up it doesn't mean anything!
I thought the idea was that back when we were in settlements, keeping watch out into the dark, the yawn would happen to a sentry if nothing was going on and would subconsciously signal to other humans, even the watch dogs that " nothing is going on, all is well" then spreading throughout the camp as sort of a psychic link, literally conveying information at the speed of light to anyone who can see you.
At least that's what some article I read had to say about it
My idea is that yawing helps sync our internal clocks. So, we sleep at the same time, and wake up at the same time. That way, no one is left behind when the group starts moving to the next waterhole, or feeding ground.
A yawn is a signal to regain some alertness, so when you yawn in order to become more awake, it signals your fellow life forms they might want to be alert too. 🥱
No, you wouldn't. It's physically impossible to swallow your tongue, given that it's anchored to your mouth. Without cutting the lingual frenulum, it can't happen.
The tounge muscle is always tensed one way or another. Whilst it wouldn't slip all the way down your gullet to be digested in your stomach it when fully relaxed, which only happens when unconscious (not asleep) there is a risk that it can slip back and block your throat passage. This phenomenon is known as "swallowing your tongue" on the multiple basic first aid courses I have attended as a thing you check for when rendering first aid to someone that's unconscious: check for blocked air passages and remove visible blockages including the tongue if it has slipped back.
Yawning is more about getting more oxygen in your system. Which sometimes can be due to you being sleepy and not breathing as well as normal, but not always to do with tiredness.
I think when you see someone else yawn, you do the same to make sure you're just as on point as they are. Since more oxygen in your system means you'll operate more efficiently.
I think that's correct, anyway? If someone knows better, please correct me
Sounds like a plausible theory. I wonder how extensively it's been studied. I'd like to know if it's unique to humans. Figuring out which species do it would give a clue to when it evolved
Why the heck is yawning contagious? I would expect such a feature to evolve if it served a purpose like, say, warning of something coming. See someone give a warning call, pass it on to the rest of the tribe. But why should a sleepy signal do that? Was there a sleep illness people had to worry about catching? Maybe it evolved to signal to everyone that it's nighttime. How many species is yawning contagious for? I'm picturing lions for some reason. I have a feeling the behaviour is common among mammals
75 Comments
flipflop97@discuss.tchncs.de · 104 pts · 273d
You're not tired, but you saw a post about yawning? Well, guess what.
ch00f@lemmy.world · 41 pts · 273d
You are now yawning manually.
explodicle@sh.itjust.works · 96 pts · 273d
When a baby is crying on an airplane during takeoff or landing, I visibly and audibly yawn in front of them on purpose, so they catch the yawn and pop their ears.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 44 pts · 273d
that is genius
glandrid@lemmy.ca · 36 pts · 272d
You're supposed to stay in your seat during take off and landing. Please, remain in your seat. Why do you keep getting out of your seat and silently scream at the babies?!
explodicle@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 272d
Who says you have to get out of your seat?
FrowingFostek@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 272d
How to tell if your baby is a sociopath with this one simple trick. For this trick you'll need: a baby, a stranger, an airplane, and the power to suspend all critical thinking.
explodicle@sh.itjust.works · 9 pts · 272d
It's more indicative of whether or not your baby is autistic.
Kolanaki@pawb.social · 66 pts · 273d
Wtf
Just reading this made me yawn.
_Nico198X_@europe.pub · 20 pts · 273d
same! what is this WITCHERY!?1
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 273d
oh gods dammit fuck aaaaall y'aaaaaall.
FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 272d
Yawn
AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social · 45 pts · 273d
Apparently there isn't much consensus on what the actual reason(s) are for yawning. Apparently fish yawn though, so that's cool.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawn
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 12 pts · 272d
Isn't it a social signal, apebrain talking?
its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 272d
Solitary animals yawn too. Don't if they can catch yawns, or how to test it.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 272d
Supplying oxygen to brain before task, reused in ape for social?
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 272d
My entirely uneducated guess would be that its some, very basal, ancient, basically gasping compulsion, that... just never quite fully got patched out by the subsequent tens of millions of years of evolution.
Sort of the behavioral version of vestigal limb, way down at some fundamental nervous system level.
CileTheSane@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 272d
It seems like it helps the brain switch modes (from low activity to high and from high activity to low). So yawning could help prepare the brain to pay attention to something important, as well as wind down for the evening. Hence both morning and evening yawns.
The contagious aspect could be as simple as "Oh, you're changing modes? I should get ready to do the same."
Agent641@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 272d
Are there any other involuntary social signals?
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 12 pts · 272d
….erections?
TownhouseGloryHole@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 272d
I do prefer to let my erection do the talking.
Cruxifux@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 272d
^ -me to the police officer who pulled me over and asked if I knew how fast I was going.
PopcornPrincess@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 272d
Name checks out
WalterLego@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 272d
Body language in general.
Dogs wag their tails in order to spread their happy pheromones by waving furiously. They unconsciously want everyone to know they are having a good time. When they are scared, they tuck their tail between their legs in order not to spread their stress pheromones by moving the air around their glands.
sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 272d
... anyone who is naturally expressive and has genuine, authentic responses that go against whatever current sociocultural norms are?
Hey, popular person told a dumb, offensive joke, that validates my internal insecurities by projecting derision outward onto some kind of minority group!
(Face twists up into disgust, shock, and maybe pity)
WTF is wrong with you, popular person is funny! We hate you now!
StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 272d
Best I can find, the 20 "most argued" reasons for yawning, at least the 20 most in 1999
AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social · 1 pts · 272d
lmao
QuantumSparkles@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 271d
Have you seen a stork yawn? They push their spine out through their mouth
kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 272d
What's that? You're not tired and you haven't seen anyone open their mouth big, but you read about a hypothetical person opening their mouth big? Bad news...
faceula@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 272d
Luckily I managed to cover my yawn but keeping my lips/teeth together but opened up the inside of my mouth. Think I got away with it.
StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 272d
Careful, I literally pulled my neck last week doing that
Manticore@lemmy.nz · 34 pts · 272d
You read the word Yawn several times in a meme, guess what
Obi@sopuli.xyz · 13 pts · 272d
Literally just yawned reading this meme, lol.
EldenLord@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 272d
Yeah I had to yawn when I opened the comments. Yawning is really weird
besmtt@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 272d
I've yawned three times already reading through all these comments.
petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 4 pts · 272d
It's early morning for me, it's not fair.
aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 15 pts · 272d
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 18 pts · 272d
This seems like such bullshit pseudoscience. Anyone have any real data to back this up?
Mobiuthuselah@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 272d
I got you fam:
Yawn contagion and empathy in Homo sapiens https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22163307/
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 2 pts · 271d
That abstract is not very convincing to me if I'm being honest.
Mobiuthuselah@mander.xyz · 2 pts · 271d
That's okay. You asked for real data. You can find more if you care to search peer reviewed articles. I'm not trying to convince you of anything, just showing that it is a real topic of study.
python@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 272d
Can confirm, I do struggle with empathy (more in the autism way than the socio/psychopath way though) and don't really catch yawns from anyone. I will still pretend to yawn when someone else does though, because I know that not doing that will make them subconsciously wary of me
anzo@programming.dev · 8 pts · 272d
Not everyone will get wary if you don't yawn. Same way as not everyone thinks the same way about yawns, or just over analyze what others do.
But good for you to try mixin and minglin with the neurotypical crowd :)
Just keep it relaxed
ButteryMonkey@piefed.social · 12 pts · 273d
You saw an animal open their mouth big? Have fun.
certified_expert@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 272d
You hit the gym and are having a good session, guess what
anzo@programming.dev · 9 pts · 272d
This. I have started to wonder if yawns are actually a way to wake up. We know little about them. Some brain scans showed that we refresh the blood around our brain, like changing the water in a fish bowl.
WanakaTree@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 272d
I used to yawn incessantly during warmups before rugby matches. My coach would yell at me to get my head into the game. I kept telling him it's just what happens when I'm warming up it doesn't mean anything!
Angelevo@feddit.nl · 11 pts · 272d
Co2
dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de · 10 pts · 272d
Isn’t the leading theory that yawning is more about cooling down the brain temp rather than a lack of oxygen or buildup of CO2?
Angelevo@feddit.nl · 5 pts · 272d
Yeah, you are correct. There are several reasons. :)
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 272d
Which does nothing to explain why it's "contagious".
StarvingMartist@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 272d
I thought the idea was that back when we were in settlements, keeping watch out into the dark, the yawn would happen to a sentry if nothing was going on and would subconsciously signal to other humans, even the watch dogs that " nothing is going on, all is well" then spreading throughout the camp as sort of a psychic link, literally conveying information at the speed of light to anyone who can see you.
At least that's what some article I read had to say about it
dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 272d
I’d say for empathy and humans showing connection by yawning when others do.
oppy1984@lemdro.id · 10 pts · 272d
This post literally made me yawn. Not because it's bad either.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 272d
Snake yawns are the most cute of yawns and I will fight every one who says otherwise.
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 272d
My idea is that yawing helps sync our internal clocks. So, we sleep at the same time, and wake up at the same time. That way, no one is left behind when the group starts moving to the next waterhole, or feeding ground.
aphonefriend@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 271d
Except nocturnal circadian cycles were evolutionary in nature. The pack wanted someone awake at all times to protect from predators.
madjo@feddit.nl · 8 pts · 272d
What? You're hungry? Well, I'll just make you yawn
uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 272d
A yawn is a signal to regain some alertness, so when you yawn in order to become more awake, it signals your fellow life forms they might want to be alert too. 🥱
YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today · 6 pts · 272d
Didn't have to see anyone, I've done it twice just reading this post.
Edit: 3 times cause I was checking back.
einlander@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 273d
Got to make everyone tired so they don't get you while you sleep.
umbrella@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 272d
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 272d
You are all now breathing manually.
ThePyroPython@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 271d
Also you're all now aware that your tongue is never fully relaxed in your mouth.
If it was, you'd swallow it.
Diddlydee@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 271d
No, you wouldn't. It's physically impossible to swallow your tongue, given that it's anchored to your mouth. Without cutting the lingual frenulum, it can't happen.
ThePyroPython@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 271d
The tounge muscle is always tensed one way or another. Whilst it wouldn't slip all the way down your gullet to be digested in your stomach it when fully relaxed, which only happens when unconscious (not asleep) there is a risk that it can slip back and block your throat passage. This phenomenon is known as "swallowing your tongue" on the multiple basic first aid courses I have attended as a thing you check for when rendering first aid to someone that's unconscious: check for blocked air passages and remove visible blockages including the tongue if it has slipped back.
MehBlah@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 271d
Nope.
ThePyroPython@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 271d
Yes, whilst you can't "swallow" it, the term is still used for teaching first aid courses, because it's memorable and having people memorise proceedure correctly is more important than grammatical correctness.
tetris11@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 273d
I saw someone recently yawn at a zoom meeting, and I thought "rule."
Jankatarch@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 271d
I can yawn with my mouth closed.
Diddlydee@feddit.uk · 3 pts · 271d
You can stifle a yawn with your mouth closed. It isn't a proper yawn if your mouth isn't open.
MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 271d
Yawning is more about getting more oxygen in your system. Which sometimes can be due to you being sleepy and not breathing as well as normal, but not always to do with tiredness.
I think when you see someone else yawn, you do the same to make sure you're just as on point as they are. Since more oxygen in your system means you'll operate more efficiently.
I think that's correct, anyway? If someone knows better, please correct me
FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 269d
Sounds like a plausible theory. I wonder how extensively it's been studied. I'd like to know if it's unique to humans. Figuring out which species do it would give a clue to when it evolved
OneWomanCreamTeam@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 271d
Read a meme about opening your mouth real big? You guessed it: open your mouth real big about it.
Petter1@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 267d
Dogs yawn as well, and it doesn’t only mean that they are tired, more like “I try my hardest to stay concentrated, but is really hard right now”
FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 269d
Why the heck is yawning contagious? I would expect such a feature to evolve if it served a purpose like, say, warning of something coming. See someone give a warning call, pass it on to the rest of the tribe. But why should a sleepy signal do that? Was there a sleep illness people had to worry about catching? Maybe it evolved to signal to everyone that it's nighttime. How many species is yawning contagious for? I'm picturing lions for some reason. I have a feeling the behaviour is common among mammals
angrystego@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 271d
Proprietary_Blend@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 271d
Whatever you do, don't you dare cover your mouth so we didn't have to see your gaping maw
And the gas pump isn't a parking spot.
And turn off your headlights if you're parked.
And just stop being a clueless shithead all the time always.
Just saying