Yawning does not mean that the brain require more oxygen.

[Anton Yeo]

Actually Yawning helps keep your brain cool, this is why in my opinion i think that when we are learning stuff, doing Mathematics and solving problems we yawn to keep our brain cool as our brain temperature increases.

So tell your teacher this cool fact when he/she thinks that you are yawning because you are bored, your brain is actually working hard thus increasing the temperature to process more information. And yawning helps, just remember to close your mouth when you do it.

For more cool facts about yawning just watch the video.

http://youtu.be/jGIbUK4nw00

 

[Mazza35]

This thread made me yawn. Hahaha
That is pretty cool though!

 

[DoPo]

"Yawning does not mean that the brain require more oxygen."

Yes, this is self evident for anybody who takes the 30 seconds needed to think about it.

I'm still not convinced about the cooling factor though. The video says that people with packs of ice on their foreheads will yawn less when viewing other people do it. Let's examine this - they have a pack of ice on their forehead. Let's repeat the experiment with a pack of very hot coals. Or let's try it when their fingers are being crushed by vice. I think we may prove that yawning is the body's signal that it needs for pain simulation...or maybe you don't yawn if you're uncomfortable.

 

[FamoFunk]

I yawn when people go on and on in my face all day. Shut the fuck up.

 

[Raven's Nest]

I was under the impression yawning is actually a social warning system common in apes, monkeys and even dogs.

When an individual is feeling tired they may yawn in order to give a boost to oxygen intake, thus keeping the individual alert. When one individual yawns, they are signalling to others that they must be alert and not fall asleep in case they miss the sounds or sights of approaching danger.

That explains why we yawn when we are tired and why it is contagious.

EDIT: Fair enough, most of that is covered by the vidya

 

[Pinkamena]

Interesting video. I've always wondered why we yawn!

 

[Lionsfan]

Kind of a silly thread to be honest. I can't shake the feeling that you're just trying to get people interested in a YouTube channel

 

[Anton Yeo]

Kind of a silly thread to be honest. I can't shake the feeling that you're just trying to get people interested in a YouTube channel

I only wanted to share some fun facts in this off-topic forum, i have no affiliation with that channel or whatsoever. I find your thinking offensive, its like generalizing the fact that when someone post something that they have read somewhere and share, they are promoters for that particular site that produce that information which i guess 99% of the people do here. My little post count that i have doesn't mean that i do not know how to post. Sorry if i have "offended" you

 

[Popadoo]

I wasn't aware our brains were hottest during the morning and before we sleep.
Seriously, this theory sounds like crap to me. I call bullshit.

 

[Lionsfan]

Kind of a silly thread to be honest. I can't shake the feeling that you're just trying to get people interested in a YouTube channel

I only wanted to share some fun facts in this off-topic forum, i have no affiliation with that channel or whatsoever. I find your thinking offensive, its like generalizing the fact that when someone post something that they have read somewhere and share, they are promoters for that particular site that produce that information which i guess 99% of the people do here. My little post count that i have doesn't mean that i do not know how to post. Sorry if i have "offended" you

You didn't offend me dude, it's just that I've seen a lot of people start threads with some little thing, then a link to a YouTube channel or some other website, and saying to go watch that, and "that" isn't a news-item someone wanted to share but just random meanderings. And yeah, the fact that you only had like 6 posts contributed to my suspicions.

 

[Ddgafd]

I'm pretty sure there's no real explanation as to why we yawn. There's so many things that come with yawning. I think it's pretty close to impossible to come up with anything that combines all of them in a reasonable manner.

Captcha: road apples. What?

 

[Anton Yeo]

I wasn't aware our brains were hottest during the morning and before we sleep.
Seriously, this theory sounds like crap to me. I call bullshit.

He did says deep brain temperature increases when you are tired. So the medical term for deep brain structure is basal ganglia. You cannot feel it on your skin if you are implying that you try to feel the difference in temperature of your basal ganglia using your hands.

 

[Popadoo]

I wasn't aware our brains were hottest during the morning and before we sleep.
Seriously, this theory sounds like crap to me. I call bullshit.

He did says deep brain temperature increases when you are tired. So the medical term for deep brain structure is basal ganglia. You cannot feel it on your skin if you are implying that you try to feel the difference in temperature of your basal ganglia using your hands.

Even so, surely by simply being in a warmer environment you would be more likely to yawn? Some of that heat is bound to get into your head, if I move to somewhere warmer I'll yawn more?
I'm not trying to be a stubborn dick here, I just like evidence.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

I'd like someone to explain why yawns are contagious. See someone yawn? Automatic yawn. See a dog or a cat yawn? Automatic yawn. Hell even hearing the word "yawn" makes me want to yawn.

Makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

The video linked in the OP actually goes into it in quite a lot of detail.

Bugger. I'm at work. While I could theoretically watch it with sound, I don't like to advertise quite that loudly that I'm naffing about instead of working.

 

[Anton Yeo]

I wasn't aware our brains were hottest during the morning and before we sleep.
Seriously, this theory sounds like crap to me. I call bullshit.

He did says deep brain temperature increases when you are tired. So the medical term for deep brain structure is basal ganglia. You cannot feel it on your skin if you are implying that you try to feel the difference in temperature of your basal ganglia using your hands.

Even so, surely by simply being in a warmer environment you would be more likely to yawn? Some of that heat is bound to get into your head, if I move to somewhere warmer I'll yawn more?
I'm not trying to be a stubborn dick here, I just like evidence.

Define warmer and we could go on forever . Alright to sum it all up, there are two ideas that we can take from the video, which is based on Discovery Channel, BBC and NYtimes.

Firstly, To cool, act as an radiator for the deep brain structures to cool it and facilitate in the transition for humans waking up.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/12/15/yawn-brain-head-02.html << Resources are actually down in the video description if anyone bothers.

Secondly, Yawning is contagious because of human empathy for each another which is really defined as an emotional contagion.