Yawning Explained

It’s an irrepressible urge when we see other people doing it.  A phenomenon that has long perplexed scientists.  We yawn when we’re tired or bored.  But yawning also has another role to play according to a study in the Public Library of Science One Journal.

FOX News Radio’s Bill Vitka reports:

You know how contagious a yawn can be, but you’re more likely to catch it if you’re a member of the family.  Yawning is an act of empathy.  It happens in tight-knit groups driven by the emotional closeness between people according to researchers in Italy who says it signals unity. About half of all yawns are contagious among family members.  But only about 10% of strangers catch it.  Friends fall somewhere in between strangers and family.  When we yawn we’re bonding, unless were just all tuckered out.

Bill Vitka, Fox News Radio.