yawning contagious – A: Yawning may be diffuse because our brains are wired to mirror others. When we see or hear yawning, circuits involved in social mirroring and empathy may activate throat and facial muscles to mirror it.

This may have helped groups of humans to coordinate arousal and remain alert together. Another consideration is thermoregulation.

Yawning may slightly increase blood and airflow through the sinuses, which helps cool the brain. If one member shows signs of overheating or fatigue, others may mimic his or her behavior to stabilize attention. Susceptibility to yawning increases with social proximity and fatigue and decreases when the room is cool or you are already hyper-alert.

If social mirroring is important, then people who pay less attention to others’ faces or are highly task-focused may yawn less often, including very young children and some autistic individuals. The effect is more pronounced when a person’s gaze moves to the faces of others.

But if the act of cooling the brain matters more, people living in cold environments, breathing through the nose, or keeping the jaw busy (by talking or chewing) may be better able to suppress cravings. Were you able to read this without yawning?.