Why are yawns contagious?
467214
Yawns are one of the brain's ways of getting oxygen and fighting fatigue. If someone yawns in response to your yawn it's because they are feeling the same fatigue you are.
85551
I think this deserves to be a featured question.  Here are a few theories and a link below:\n\nEverybody yawns - from unborn babies to the oldest great-grandparent. Animals do it, too. But why, exactly, do people and animals yawn? No one knows for sure. But there are many theories (ideas) about why people yawn. \n\nOne is that when we are bored or tired, we just don't breathe as deeply as we usually do. As this theory goes, our bodies take in less oxygen because our breathing has slowed. Therefore, yawning helps us bring more oxygen into the blood and move more carbon dioxide out of the blood.\n\nYawning, then, would be an involuntary reflex (something we can't really control) to help us control our oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. Sounds good, but other studies have shown that breathing more oxygen does not decrease yawning. Likewise, breathing more carbon dioxide does not increase yawning. Hmmm. Now what?\n\nAnother theory is that yawning stretches the lungs and lung tissue. Stretching and yawning may be a way to flex muscles and joints, increase heart rate, and feel more awake.\n\nOther people believe that yawning is a protective reflex to redistribute the oil-like substance called surfactant (say: sur-fak-tunt) that helps keep lungs lubricated inside and keeps them from collapsing. So, if we didn't yawn, according to this theory, taking a deep breath would become harder and harder - and that would not be good!\n\nBut there is one idea about yawning that everyone knows to be true. It seems contagious. If you yawn in class, you'll probably notice a few other people will start yawning, too. Even thinking about yawning can get you yawning. How many times have you yawned while reading this article? We hope not many!
1178011
I know! why can't scientist study why yawns are so contagious?
262175
science are baffled why yawning is contagious. They have none whatsoever for explaining this phenomena. However psychologies insists it is psychological.
655674
This circuitry is called the “mirror-neuron system,” because it contains a special type of brain cells, or neurons, that become active both when their owner does something, and when he or she senses someone else doing the same thing. \n\nMirror neurons typically become active when a person consciously imitates an action of someone else, a process associated with learning. But they seem to play no role in yawn contagiousness, the researchers in the new study found. The cells are have no extra activity during contagious yawning compared with during other non-contagious facial movements, they observed.
326667
Here are some very cool links about yawning in general and why it is contagious:\n\nhttp://www.howstuffworks.com/question572.htm\n\nhttp://staff.washington.edu/~chudler/yawning.html\n\nhttp://www.world-science.net/exclusives/050309_yawnfrm.htm\n\nBy the way, excellent question.  Hope this helps.\n\nGod Bless!  :)
346467
Yawns are not contagious, its an urban legend. Watch 'Mythbusters' on the Discovery channel.
397407
Though the other answers are right (that yawning occurs to signal tiredness when the brain demands extra oxygen due to slipping performance), I would like to add another related comment.\n\nI recently read in the newspaper that scientists are discovering that yawning is a signal of compassion.  Researchers conducted studies in which participants watched videos of people yawning and the researchers measured the time between the yawn of the person on the video and the ensuing yawn of the study participant.  They then somehow effectively linked this elapse to compassion; what they stated was that the quicker you yawn after you see someone else yawn, the the more compassionate you are.\n\nRegretfully, I don't know the web address of the article, which I found intriguing, but I think it is worth your time to investigate.
276956
When working out the blood flow is increased to the working muscles. As a result there is less blood and oxygen flowing to the brain triggering the yawn. This is your body's way of increasing the oxygen level in the brain to compensate.\nAs your body accomodates the increased physical demand, the yawning should become less.
775112
It's a sympathetic reaction that makes them contagious.  A yawn happens when your body is not receiving enough oxygen.  You yawn when someone else yawns because of this sympathetic reaction.  Mythbusters did an experiment on this topic on one of their shows.
1049703
Good question!\nMany people believe that we yawns are the cause of to get rid of extra carbon dioxide and to take in more oxygen. Not entirely true (see ref 1 and 3). Sometimes we yawn as we shift phases from being awaken, to feeling sleepy, and anytime during our awakened state. And sometimes they simply are contagious(2).\n\n"Giving people additional oxygen didn't decrease yawning and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide in a subject's environment also didn't prevent yawning. "(3)
273757
Seeing someone yawn, hearing them yawn, or even hearing the word "yawn" triggers a reaction in our brain. Yawn contagion is largely unconscious. Wherever it might affect the brain, it bypasses the known brain circuitry for consciously analyzing and mimicking other people’s actions.\n\nThis circuitry is called the “mirror-neuron system,” because it contains a special type of brain cells, or neurons, that become active both when their owner does something, and when he or she senses someone else doing the same thing. \n\nSo basically, it's an unconscious thing that the brain does, in most cases.
829322
1- During a yawn, there is a slight increase in pressure inside the skull (likely caused by slight increases in the amount of oxygen taken in during a deep yawn). This causes the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the fluid that surrounds the brain and flows through the brain's ventricle system, to be forced out faster than normal. That fluid enters the lachrymal (tear) system. That increase in fluid pushes out the tears.\n\n2 - the more simplistic reason may be that when you yawn you scrunch up a bunch of facial muscles. That causes the tear glands and ducts to be squished, forcing out some tears.\n\n\nTalks about yawning as well:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yawn#Causes_of_yawning
363390
The yawn reflex is often described as contagious: if one person yawns, this will cause another person to "sympathetically" yawn. The reasons for this are unclear; however, recent research suggests that yawning might be a herd instinct. Other theories suggest that the yawn serves to synchronize mood behavior among gregarious animals, similar to the howling of the wolf pack during a full moon. It signals tiredness to other members of the group in order to synchronize sleeping patterns and periods of activity. It can serve as a warning in displaying large, canine teeth, thus proclaiming, "don't attack while I am sleeping..." The contagion of yawning is interspecific (i.e., try yawning in front of your dog). Ironically, yawning in public is generally regarded as impolite in the West, but came into fashion in polite French society for a brief period in the late 18th century. Oddly, sometimes sympathetic yawning may be caused by simply looking at a picture of a person or animal yawning, or even seeing the word "yawn".\n\nAdelie Penguins employ yawning as part of their courtship ritual. Penguin couples face off and the males engage in what is described as an "ecstatic display," their beaks open wide and their faces pointed skyward.
178925
The reasons for this are unclear; however, recent research suggests that yawning might be a herd instinct.\n\nHerd Instinct\n-------------\nThe so-called herding instinct is a social tendency in humans to identify with and model many behaviors and beliefs after a larger group of individuals with whom they identify. This is sometimes referred to as "following the herd." Such people are sometimes labelled with the derogatory term "sheeple."\n\nSince the herding instinct includes both behavior and belief, the term 'herd behavior' describes only a part of this complex phenomenon in humans.
339257
Yeah, the previous answers are right - lack of oxygen to the brain.\n\nBut the big question is why are yawns contagious? Even experts don't know that.
371295
Yawns are contagious because most of us when seeing another yawn, we will hold our breath unintentionally...those few seconds cause a lack of oxygen which is what makes people yawn! Try it out next time you see someone yawn...make a point to make sure you breathe regularly and you'll see that you won't yawn.