Is yawning just another way of ‘keeping your cool’?

We’ve all yawned at some pretty embarrassing moments.

And most people assume it means you’re bored.

But recently researchers discovered why we yawn. And the answer may surprise you.

You may have noticed that you do it more in summer. Still, despite what you may have heard, it’s not about taking in more oxygen.

The best theory so far is that a yawn is the body’s way to cool down the brain, which is very sensitive to overheating. Even one degree off 98.6 sends a message out for some blood-cooling air.

That might explain why stressful situations that can heat up our brains trigger more yawns. And why having the air conditioning on in an office seems to make employees yawn less.

But what makes yawning so contagious? Some researchers believe it promotes “group vigilance” against threats. For instance, they found yawning was more contagious among parakeets startled by a loud noise.

If that’s the case, could that famous painting “The Scream” actually have been depicting a yawn?

Sources:
“The real reason we yawn” Jonathan D. Rockoff, August 19, 2014, The Wall Street Journal online.wsj.com