Hi there! Have you ever found yourself yawning in the middle of the day? I did, and it’s because I was tired. Last night, a bird called a mockingbird was singing outside my window all night long, and I didn’t get much sleep. Tonight, I’m going to be smart and wear earplugs. Isn’t yawning such a funny thing we do?
Today, I got a question from someone named Subah. She asked, “Why do we yawn?” That’s a great question! One of the strangest things about yawning is that when we see or hear someone else yawn, we often yawn too. It’s like yawning is contagious, which means it can spread from one person to another. Even talking or thinking about yawning can make you yawn. Are you yawning yet?
But why do we yawn? Does it help us in some way? What do you think? Well, the truth is, we don’t really know why we yawn. Some people think we yawn to get more air or oxygen, but scientists have found out that’s not true. No matter how much oxygen is around us, we yawn the same amount.
Here’s what we do know: everyone yawns! Most people yawn about 15 or 16 times a day. We yawn more when we’re tired or bored. That’s why yawning when someone is talking to you might seem rude, but it might just be because yawning is contagious, or you’re simply tired.
Did you know that babies yawn even before they’re born? And it’s not just humans who yawn. Animals like pigs, bunnies, horses, crocodiles, and snakes yawn too. Some animals even yawn contagiously, just like us. If you yawn at a dog, it might yawn back at you. Try it and see what happens!
So, we still don’t know why we yawn, but since we do it every day and many animals do it too, maybe yawning is important for our bodies. Who knows? Maybe one day, you or someone else will figure out why we yawn!
Thanks for the great question, Subah! There are so many mysteries around us. Stay curious, and keep asking questions. See you next time!
Yawning Experiment: Try a fun experiment with your family or friends. Gather in a circle and have one person start by yawning. Watch closely to see if anyone else starts yawning too. Count how many people yawn after the first person. Discuss why you think yawning might be contagious. Does it happen every time?
Animal Yawn Observation: Next time you visit a zoo or watch animals at home, observe if any animals yawn. Make a list of the animals you see yawning. Do they yawn when they are tired, or do they yawn when they see another animal or person yawn? Share your findings with your class or family.
Creative Yawn Drawing: Draw a picture of yourself yawning and then draw an animal yawning next to you. Imagine what the animal might be thinking or feeling. Write a short story about why you both are yawning. Share your drawing and story with your classmates or family.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing) – (yawns) Hi, it’s Doug. If I’m yawning in the middle of the day, it’s only because I’m tired. The trees behind me are beneath my bedroom window, and last night, there was a mockingbird singing all night long, so I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I’m going to be smart tonight and wear earplugs. Yawning is such a strange thing we do, isn’t it?
This week’s question comes from someone named Subah. Let’s give her a call now. (phone ringing) – Hi, Doug. – Hey, Subah. – I have a question for you: why do we yawn? – That is such a great question. One of the strangest things about yawning is this: seeing someone else yawn, or even hearing someone yawn, makes us yawn. For this reason, some people joke that yawning is contagious. It’s as if it spreads from one person to another. Talking about yawning, or sometimes even just thinking about yawning, can make you yawn. Maybe you’re yawning right now as I’m talking about this. That is so interesting, right?
But why do we do it? What good is yawning? Does yawning help us in some way? What do you think? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready? Well, even more mysterious about yawning is this: we don’t really know why we yawn. One idea that you might hear sometimes is that people yawn when they need to get more air or oxygen, but scientists have checked this and found out that can’t be true. No matter how much oxygen is in the air around us, people don’t yawn any more or any less often. There are other ideas that scientists are exploring, but so far, no one has been able to prove any of these ideas to be true, at least not yet.
What we can do is observe as much as we can about yawning, and we found some pretty interesting things. As far as we know, everyone yawns. There isn’t a single case of a person who never yawns. It seems that most people yawn about 15 or 16 times a day. Not too surprisingly, people yawn more right before they go to bed. We all know yawning is something you do when you’re tired, but we also know that yawning is something you do when you’re bored, right? That’s why yawning when someone is talking to you is considered rude, but that might not be totally fair. Remember, yawning is contagious. It could be that you’re yawning because you saw someone else yawn, or you might just be tired, not bored. Either way, yawning is something we do our whole lives.
Scientists have discovered, using special tools like 3D ultrasound, that babies even yawn while they’re still growing inside their mother. We all start yawning before we’re even born. And it’s not just humans who yawn, either. Pigs yawn. Bunnies yawn. Horses yawn. Crocodiles yawn. Snakes yawn. Some animals even yawn contagiously, just like we do. Sometimes, this even works between people and animals; for example, if you look at a dog and yawn, it will often yawn back. Try it for yourself and see what happens.
So, in summary, we don’t know why we yawn. But given that yawning is something we do every day of our lives, and that many animals do it too, could it be that yawning is important for our bodies? Maybe you or someone watching this video will be the person to figure that out one day.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Subah, for asking it. Now for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and picked out three questions submitted to me that I’m thinking about answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: who invented the first television? How old is the Earth? Or, why do we have last names? So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week.
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