Yawning Is A Form Of Communication

If you’re not tired, why are you yawning?

Yawn

Interesting Facts in Easy English

Pre-Listening Vocabulary

  • involuntary: occurs without one’s control (e.g. a reflex)
  • contagious: spreads from one person to another
  • empathy: the understanding or acknowledgment of another person’s feelings
  • phenomenon: an observance in nature (often causing wonder)
  • vertebrate: animals with a backbone or spine

Yawning Is A Form Of Communication

Yawning doesn’t always mean you are . This involuntary action is an expression of many different feelings. People often yawn when they don’t agree with a person or when they feel bored. They may also yawn when they are angry or . Some scientists believe that yawning cools down the brain. Yawning is often followed by stretching, which may be exactly what the body needs when it is upset, bored, or nervous. Yawning is a contagious reflex. When you see someone yawn, it often causes you to yawn. In fact, just thinking about yawning can make you yawn! believe yawning is a way of showing empathy. Contagious yawning is not just a human phenomenon. Almost all vertebrates yawn. Some theories suggest that yawning helps animals stay . Yawning awakens many parts of the body, including the , lungs, and abdominal muscles. Opening the mouth wide also allows animals to bare their teeth. Next time you yawn, ask yourself this question: What am I trying to communicate?

Comprehension Questions

  1. What often happens when a person sees another person yawn?
  2. According to some research, what happens to the brain when we yawn?
  3. Why might yawning be a form of protection for animals?

Discussion Question: Babies yawn before they are born. However, some studies suggest that contagious yawning doesn’t happen until a child is about five years old. This is around the time a child begins to develop “empathy”. What can be inferred from this finding?

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