eeing or hearing someone yawn can make you yawn. This phenomenon is not limited to humans; some animals experience contagious yawning, too.
But why is yawning contagious?
Brain cells called mirror neurons may play a role in contagious yawning, Dr. Charles Sweet, a board-certified psychiatrist and medical adviser at Linear Health, told Live Science in an email. Mirror neurons respond to actions that we observe in others.
“When you see someone yawn, those neurons fire up,” Sweet said. This neurological mechanism may explain why yawning spreads so easily within social groups.
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