# Yawns

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 21, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283 "2004-04-21T20:45:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bannerrefugee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bannerrefugee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bannerrefugee)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283/1 "2004-04-21T20:45:38Z")

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Why are yawns contagious?

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**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283/2 "2004-04-21T21:50:17Z")

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[The Master speaks.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_309.html)

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**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283/3 "2004-04-21T23:37:54Z")

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Very funny. The thread title actually made me yawn. Power of suggestion?

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**Author:** ![ccwaterback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@ccwaterback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccwaterback)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yawns/241283/4 "2004-04-22T01:12:09Z")

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Laughter seems to be contagious too. If you hear a group of people laughing, don’t you generally start to smile?