Comments on: Episode 28: Is Yawning Contagious?

By: JasonD

JasonD — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:22:08 +0000

I fully agree. Perhaps the problem is that the Mythbuster categorization system (Confirmed, Plausible, Busted) does not include ‘No Result’ label, as such would admit defeat.

Although, in this case, the lack of statistical significance should have indicated ‘Tentatively Busted’.

By: Sariah

Sariah — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:38:48 +0000

Scientific American reported on studies about yawning a few months ago. The findings suggested that contagious yawning was influenced by empathy, of all things.

I think this myth should be retested using complete strangers vs. close friends vs. family members and see if that makes a difference.

By: Tony

Tony — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 01:18:38 +0000

I definitely yawned a number of times through this episode…any not once through many others. I think it’s plausible.

By: Beni

Beni — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:36:18 +0000

On the small car experiment, I saw you had problems with the track, because the sun kept dilating the track, and the cars would fall out. Maybe the experiment would have had better chances in the evening, since then the track would contract, and make the track more straight, exactly opposite as the morning effect.

By: dave

dave — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 07:22:03 +0000

Yawning is caused by a small rise in carbon dioxide in the blood stream. When this occurs in a (semi enclosed) area to a level where one person starts to yawn, this cue can illicit a response from others also being effected by the CO2 level in the room, but they would eventually yawn anyway once their personal CO2 level threshold was reached. So it is contageous? No, but it could appear to be if one only looks at the effect of suggestion, not that there is a cause too and it need not be a room low in CO2, it could be something as simple as an inactive, tired person has decreased breathing rate.

As for felixnoir’s suggestion that humans are pack animals, no they are not to this extent. You may find that within a group that if one or more members of the group doesn’t something of questionable social grace, it puts the others more at ease about doing similar things but they don’t do it to be conformist, the copying of each other is not a conscious or subconscious decision, it is merely that being genetically near identical and being in the same environment, they are effected to similar extends and exhibit similar responses to that environment.

By: felixnoir

felixnoir — Sun, 15 May 2011 14:37:43 +0000

Guys. Leave the science to the scientists. Every time New Scientist needs a filler they reprint some piece of research that proves that yawning is catching.

The wonder is not that yawning is catching. The wonder is that we focus on that to the exclusion of other behaviours. Humans are primates and pack animals. We unconsciously copy each other. Sneezing is catching. Scratching yer bum is catching. Believing that there are aliens lurking outside the office door is catching. Watching Mythbusters is, fortunately for you, catching if you consider yourself to be a member of that particular pack.

You guys are not scientists. You are inventor-engineers. Like most inventor-engineers, you have a zest for practical fun, a theoretical side that has some gaping holes, and a somewhat limited grasp of history and culture. Because these cause you to fit well into your pack they are your strengths .

By: Chamon

Chamon — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:14:51 +0000

You guys all made me yawn while i was eating my toast butter side up i fell off a table, but my toast was already digested, which way do you think the toast was when i landed on my back?

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:32:04 +0000

In regards to yawning; In my case, I can make my wife yawn at will. I can make her continue to yawn until her jaw cramps up if I want to.

By: Justin

Justin — Thu, 06 May 2010 04:19:29 +0000

In regards to yawning was the mental state of the test subjects considered? Ive noticed if your in a group of tired people the phenomenon of yawning being contagious is much more likely to happen than if one person is tired and the others are rested. Was this taken into consideration?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:29:10 +0000

Matt you have it precisely right.

If you place the toast on the table butter side down and push it off what do you think will happen?

The reason it spins is because one side of it will give way to gravity and turn, flipping the slice! I guess its chaotic how many more spins it will do with a given height, probably got something to do with the initial resultant force which causes the spin. i.e. if you forcably pushed down on the side slid out from under the table.