Did you just yawn? If so, you're not alone. Research shows that approximately 55% of people will yawn simply from reading about yawning. In fact, there's a good chance you're fighting the urge right now.

This isn't your imagination—it's neuroscience in action. Yawning is so powerfully contagious that it doesn't even require seeing someone else do it. Just reading the word, thinking about the concept, or hearing someone describe it can trigger the automatic response.

The Temple University Experiment

When researchers at Temple University wanted to test this phenomenon, they had students read different texts for 30 minutes. Students who read about yawning yawned nearly twice as much as those who read about itching or nothing at all. The mere act of processing the word on a page was enough to activate their yawn reflex.

But why does this happen? Scientists believe contagious yawning taps into the same neural pathways that enable empathy and social bonding.

Your Brain on Yawning

When you read the word "yawning," your brain automatically simulates the experience. Research suggests this triggers primitive reflexes in your primary motor cortex—the area responsible for motor function. Your brain essentially prepares your body to yawn, even though there's no physiological need to do so.

Interestingly, not everyone is equally susceptible:

About 30-60% of people experience contagious yawning from visual or auditory cues
Some studies show rates as high as 69% for certain stimuli
People with higher empathy levels tend to be more susceptible
Those with psychopathic traits are significantly less likely to catch a yawn
Contagious yawning decreases with age

More Than Just Tiredness

While we often associate yawning with being tired or bored, contagious yawning serves a different purpose. It's thought to be a social synchronization tool that helped our ancestors coordinate group behavior—like collective alertness or sleep patterns.

This is why yawning is most contagious between people who are close. Research shows you're far more likely to catch a yawn from a family member or friend than from a stranger. The emotional connection strengthens the neural response.

The Ultimate Test

So, how many times have you yawned while reading this? If the answer is "at least once," congratulations—you've just proven the science correct. Your brain read about yawning, simulated the experience, and couldn't help but follow through.

And if you made it through without yawning? You might be in the minority of people whose brains are resistant to this particular form of social contagion. Either that, or you're about to yawn right... now.

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