# Why do we copy Yawns?? !
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [June 1, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346 "2007-06-01T14:54:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Juninho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Juninho)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/1 "2007-06-01T14:54:59Z")
I like the theory that although we don’t know why we yawn the reason we might trigger it off in each other is that we would be in the same setting that caused the initial yawn.
BUT I have experiences which ‘disprove it’ … when I was younger I remember a cartoon/childrens movie I think called the ‘yawning man’ but could be wrong. And it half way through there is a song and all the characters start yawning.
I couldn’t help but yawn!! I even ‘tested’ it on friends and yup same effect.
It really really is socially contagious!
And its not a mimic response because its not a natural thing to do !!
Bizarre … I think we need to put our best scientists on this!
:o
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/2 "2007-06-01T15:18:42Z")
I agree - contagious yawning can’t be as simple as that.
The movie you’re thinking of, BTW, is [Tom Thumb](http://imdb.com/title/tt0052427/)
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/3 "2007-06-01T15:21:15Z")
BTW, welcome to the boards!
- In these threads, it’s customary to link to the article under discussion, which I presume is this one:
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_309.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_309.html)
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### Author:  [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/4 "2007-06-01T15:35:49Z")
[QUOTE=Juninho]
I like the theory that although we don’t know why we yawn the reason we might trigger it off in each other is that we would be in the same setting that caused the initial yawn.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve just disproved that. Just reading your thread title made me yawn, but we’re probably several hundred miles and many climates apart.
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### Author:  [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/5 "2007-06-01T15:38:16Z")
I yawned when I saw the tread title, and I yawned again reading the thread. I’m yawning again now.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/6 "2007-06-01T16:20:05Z")
I don’t copy yawns, but coughs. When someone coughs, I get this urge to cough myself. Da’hell?
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### Author:  [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/7 "2007-06-01T23:37:50Z")
By a curious coincidence, I just happened to become aware of [mirror neurons](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neurons) this morning. Might they be involved?
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### Author:  [@Slander\_Q.Libel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slander_Q.Libel)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2007, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/8 "2007-09-18T07:30:26Z")
After much heavy pondering on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that yawning is caused by an imbalance in pressure between your sinus cavities and the surrounding air. When you yawn, that equalizes the the two. However, in the process it changes the outside air pressure ever-so-slightly. Of course, this means that others around you, who had formerly been standing around with equalized pressures, must now yawn to equalize their own personal air pressures. This is generally repeated continuously for the next few minutes, until everything balances out.
That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it…
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2007, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/9 "2007-09-18T16:16:09Z")
Your theory bores me. And now I must… well, you know.
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### Author:  [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)
#### Post date: [September 18, 2007, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-copy-yawns/406346/10 "2007-09-18T19:17:03Z")
[QUOTE=Slander Q. Libel]
After much heavy pondering on the subject, I have come to the conclusion that yawning is caused by an imbalance in pressure between your sinus cavities and the surrounding air. When you yawn, that equalizes the the two. However, in the process it changes the outside air pressure ever-so-slightly. Of course, this means that others around you, who had formerly been standing around with equalized pressures, must now yawn to equalize their own personal air pressures. This is generally repeated continuously for the next few minutes, until everything balances out.
That’s my theory, and I’m sticking to it…
[/QUOTE]
Now that just makes some down and dirty good old timey horse sense to me!!
Keep posting here **Slander Q** , you fit right in! 😛