[Donnah]

People are naturally followers.  I used to go to outdoor crowded areas and stare up at the sky.  Never took long before there was a group around me looking up.  Right about then I'd walk away giggling.

[MayoFlyFarmer]

I am the worst contagous yawner EVER.  My girlfriend very unkindly takes advantage of it.  Theres nothing worse for me than going to the zoo and yawning for the rest of the day to make up for the huge yawn I saw a polar bear take.  I loved hearing your comments on the subject but I had to stop after reading about 4 because I couldn't take it any more.  Thats it I need to go home now, maybe the walk will get this out of my system.  Why did I ever start reading this thread?!!!


Yar, the flies be everywhere!!!

[neilep (OP)]

Does this make you yawn ?...it did me... http://img16.exs.cx/img16/5701/yawn.swf

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[DrN]

yawns are supposed to be something to do with social behaviour, to synchronise the behaviour of the group, so when one animal yawns the others in the group do so too, so their bodies are told its time to sleep. still not sure how watching someone yawn can actually make you do the same, but there you go, evolution maybe?

[duncan]

In the Netherlands someone wrote a dissertation on yawning recently. What I remember he collected lots of material on yawning (art, books, scientific) and concluded that there's a sexual undertone in yawning. Seems to completely ridiculous but he managed to defend it anyways.

--- man is twice the worm it used to be ---

[duncan]

found a link as well
http://webperso.easyconnect.fr/baillement/seuntjens.html [nofollow]

--- man is twice the worm it used to be ---

[MooseHole]

They were able to give rats boners and yawn at the same time.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=3497688&dopt=Citation

[MooseHole]

I guess scientists don't know why we itch, or else I don't understand their elevated language.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&list_uids=8843816&dopt=Citation

[chris]

I wrote this up as a news item this week; here's the link:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news/news/1300/

[Karen W.]

I wrote this up as a news item this week; here's the link:

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news/news/1300/

This was a great link Chris! Thanks!

[Raghavendra]

me too?

[Karen W.]

Did you enjoy the link about itching also?

[JnA]

I'm sure it's been mentioned here before that there is a theory that people who yawn after seeing someone else do it are more 'empathetic' than people who do not.

[Karen W.]

I did not know that.. i just thought we all did that! Just you saying it makes me yawn.. I don't have to see it just start thinking about yawning.... .. I rarely yawn unless prompted.. once in a while .. like I said but not necessarily when I am sleepy..