Is there more to contageous yawning?

I wasn't sure where to put this so i guess it could go under Medical/Spiritual/Science (Website Related).

Im sure many of you have experienced the contageous yawn but have you ever experienced it at a great distance and seemingly almost at the same time. Last night I was on the phone with my dad and right when he was yawning I was yawning. He did not go first nor did I so there could not have been an audible cue unless it was nano seconds.

Same thing happened driving down a road. I was heading north bound and the car heading south bound was 100 ft(aprox). We both yawned at the same time as we passed each other.

I guess what my question is: Could there be more to yawning at a subconcious or spiritual level rather than a physical or cyclical seasonal level?

If anyone has any in depth info I would like to know. I think me taking psychology this semester has made me question things more in depth.

Heres some info I found at the University of Cincinati

II. WHAT SETS US OFF
G. COPYCAT CONTAGION IS REAL
Walter Smitson, professor of psychiatry and director of the Central Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati Medical Center:

Yawns are indeed contagious because human beings are highly social creatures, very open to suggestion. "As humans, we watch each other and emulate one another. We're copycats. Another example of this is often seen with sports teams. If one player is very aggressive, other players become more so too. So, when I see someone else yawn, I know it's o.k. to yawn too." In fact, we're so suggestible that even reading about or discussing yawning can set us off on a yawning binge.
Contact: 513-558-9015 www.uc.edu...

Nice People Are Prone to Yawn
By: Colin Allen
Summary: Empathetic people are more likely to 'catch' the yawns
cms.psychologytoday.com...

Yawning in synchronicity???
brain.hastypastry.net...

you made me yawn the whole time reading!!

sometimes i try to fake a yawn then throw something into the yawnees mouth

i always yawn, and it makes everyone in the room yawn.
i dont really understand it but it is really weird and it shows that even if we are not tired and someone yawns we all still yawn, and are brain can play tricks on us!

oni x x

reply to post by Oni x x


i can live with others yawns----its harder to take when they start to try and sing or whistle but have no obvious talents in either----and then the rest of the crowd of hollywood wana be actors join in------there are some benefits to hearing loss as 1 gets older---i guess !

Why doesn't a dog's yawn have the same affect? Clearly, humans recognize when a dog is yawning, yet the same "contagion" isn't evident.

Human yawns.....likely as not, we'll yawn in response.

Dog yawns......oh look, the dog yawned.

Thankx, I cant stop yawning now!

I yawn when my cats yawn...
...everytime someone else does,
on the phone...and apparently when I read and think about it!

*yawns*