New Clues to Why Yawns Are Contagious
Primitive brain reflexes may be at play
By Randy Dotinga
Thursday, August 31, 2017
THURSDAY, Aug. 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The "contagiousness" of yawns may be rooted in primitive brain reflexes, British researchers report.
Echophenomena is the term for contagious movements such as yawns. Humans tend to yawn when they see others yawn, and so do chimpanzees and dogs.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham wondered where the roots of this type of echophenomena are located. They examined 36 adults as they looked at video clips of people yawning. The participants were told to either try to stop themselves from yawning or just let it happen.
https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_168143.html
