Is yawning contagious? Take the test, to find out!
Updated: Nov 21, 2020
Is yawning contagious? Take the test to find out!
When is a yawn just a yawn? When is a yawn more than a yawn? Contagious yawning - the increase in likelihood that you will yawn after watching or hearing someone else yawn - has been of particular interest to researchers. It turns out, that there is a correlation between the susceptibility for contagious yawning and self-reported empathy.
Here’s a simple personality test to try on whoever is sitting opposite you as you read this. When you see sure that person is looking at you – but without checking too obviously – yawn. Does the other person follow suit?
If they do, it suggests that your companion is a fairly empathic person (or at least has a fair amount of empathy for you). A growing body of evidence suggests that contagious yawning is closely linked to empathy.
For starters, babies don’t catch yawns. Yawn contagion only starts to appear around the age of four or five, about the same time as empathy. And the closer you are to someone, the more likely you are to catch their yawn. A recent study found that yawn contagion was highest among family members, lower for friends, lower still for acquaintances and lowest for strangers. Finally, a study published earlier this year found that women – who, on average, score higher than men on tests of empathy – are also more likely to catch yawns.
Oh, one more thing. Did you yawn while reading this? A study done more than 20 years ago found that simply reading about yawning is enough to cause many people to do so.
Click the Link Below to Test The Theory!
Share & let us know if you yawned!
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