19 Year Old Shrink

Why is Yawning Contagious?

September 06, 2022 Will Giangrande Season 3 Episode 6
19 Year Old Shrink
Why is Yawning Contagious?
Show Notes

In this episode, I talk about something we all do; yawn! According to pbs.org, adults yawn on average 20 times a day! Throughout this talk, I not only discuss why we yawn and why it is contagious. I also mention the idea of empathy in yawning and how it is related to mirroring for other people in our life.  For romantic interests or close friendships, often times we mirror what the other person is doing to establish rapport. And although yawning occurs on a more subconscious level, I can relate to it being a way to establish connection with relationship oriented people. 

When listening to this episode, you might wonder; why do you care so much about something so little? Sometimes it's important to step back and be curious about the little things around us. By doing this, we can become more appreciative of the human experience and ask ourselves questions about why certain things are the way they are. And wondering about yawning is a perfect example of that. If you are interested in some science behind yawning, tune in now!