A RECENT STUDY ON WHY YAWNING IS CONTAGIOUS

INTRODUCTION

A recent study shows why yawning is contagious in nature. Most people have always wondered why they have to yawn each time somebody besides them does. The contagious effect of yawning is so high that mere watching someone yawns on TV will make one yawns too. Even though this is a sponsored article, I quite agree with the facts.

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDIES

A yawn is a reflex consisting of simultaneous inhalation of air and the stretching of the eardrums, followed by an exhalation of breath¹. Yawning could be as a result of hunger or tiredness or evidence of well and thorough relaxation.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This objective of this study is to shows why yawning is contagious on a stressed body.

METHODOLOGY

This is a descriptive study carried out during the last academy section in one of the best private Secondary in Nigeria (Contact site Admin for the name or check the site journal in three week)

RESULT

A total numbers of 105 pupils in the senior classes were put together in a hall for a revision exercise; 65 were boys while 40 were girls. The class started by 9am and ended by 5pm. One hour break was given to all of them by 1pm.The boys participated in a 25 minutes football game while the girls were asked to go to their various dormitories to rest. The class resumed back by 3pm. The first contagious yawning started around 4.05pm by a boy .The yawning outcomes from the hall were as follows:

Total number of 76 pupil yawned in the hall.(72.3%)

29 girls yawned (27.6%)

15 girls out of the 29 admitted they didn’t take a nap but were rather reading while

11 said they couldn’t rest during the period but were discussing.

15 girls who didn’t yawn at all and agreed they rested well but 3 of them ended up yawning before 5pm.

47 boys yawned (44.7%)

39 out of 45 boys came back to the hall after the match yawned

8 out of 20 boys who took their shower and rested briefly after the football exercise yawned but admitted they are still tired

EFFECT OF REST ON YAWNING

65(61.9%) pupil didn’t rest and yawned

23(21.9%) pupil rest well and didn’t yawned

11 (10.4%) pupil neither rested well and yawned

CONCLUSION

Yawning is contagious because it is our body way of communicating to us using the next tired person to remind us of the present state of our body. It announces the peak of stress in the body and thus is the body way of reacting to stress. It is at the point of yawning that it actually dawn that the body needs something and must get it.