# Yawning Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawning-question/104559>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 19, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawning-question/104559 "2002-04-19T18:22:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![genecola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@genecola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/genecola)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawning-question/104559/1 "2002-04-19T18:22:10Z")

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Hi. I’m interested to know what causes people yawn? Is there an explanation for this?

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**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawning-question/104559/2 "2002-04-19T18:35:06Z")

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Cecil’s take on the matter: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_309.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_309.html)

I have heard more about the suggesting that its a social signal - a bareing of teeth, so to speak, that humans just continue to do, just like animals. Google will likely find a lot of information for you, but the short answer is, no one really knows.

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**Author:** ![genecola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@genecola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/genecola)\
**Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawning-question/104559/3 "2002-04-19T18:41:12Z")

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cool, thanks mnemosyne!