close
Welcome! Wikis are websites that everyone can build together. It's easy!

Is Yawning Contagious?

Calling all MythBusters fans!
Click EasyEdit to help build the uber-guide to myths!

Don't see the EasyEdit button above? Sign in or sign up.
New to wikis? Visit the Help section for tips on getting started.

The Myth

THIS MYTH WAS FEATURED IN...
Is Yawning Contagious?Episode 28: Is Yawning Contagious?

ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 3/09/2005
Myth Title: Is Yawning Contagious?


Myth Description: Is yawning really passed on from person to person?


MythBusters on the bust: Kari Byron, Tori Belleci, Scottie Chapman


Hypothesis:


Procedure/Experimental Design: The MythBusters bring in"blind-study" groups to see if the yawns travel around. They "seed" 2 of 3 subjects by yawning in front of them before putting them into seperate rooms. They even "seed" a dog & get the dog to yawn.


Results: As with any behavioral study, the results varied. However, the results leaned towards yawning being a passed-along behavior.


Conclusion: Though the difference between "seeded" & "unseeded" yawners was minimal, it was a difference.


Busted or Not Busted: Confirmed
Fan Feedback

Highlights of the bust:






Best quotes by the MythBusters:






Your Scientific Method

Did the MythBusters get it right? How would you have busted this myth differently? Share your experiment design for how you would prove/disprove this myth:

  • No way they got this one right... the yawn is only contagious when you see, hear or talk about a yawn... If they had a tv in the rooms at the time and they were showing a tv show and then introduced a yawn in the program and then if the person yawned then it would have been far more likley to happen...

  • that is right I yawn just by thanking about it .


  • if I see my mom yawn I know I'll yawn soon


  • I think yawning is more from environmental conditions than being contagious. You yawn because you aren't getting enough oxygen. If pressure drops in a room, it affects everyone in the room. The sound of a yawn is just a reminder to your brain and might cause you to yawn sooner.
See Also

Related myths: ----

Related resources and reference pages: ----



Threads

Anonymous  (Get credit for your thread)
Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
amy_c Good point, Alan 1 Feb 23 2008, 5:15 PM EST by smci
amy_c
Thread started: Aug 18 2007, 8:01 PM EDT  Watch
What makes a yawn "contagious" is a psychological reaction. It's possible that some people felt it was really contagious like a virus? Either way, I'm sure your method would have made someone yawn.

BTW- I just yawned thinking about yawning!
6  out of 10 found this valuable. Do you?    
Keyword tags: None
Show Last Reply

Related Content

  (what's this?Related ContentThanks to keyword tags, links to related pages and threads are added to the bottom of your pages. Up to 15 links are shown, determined by matching tags and by how recently the content was updated; keeping the most current at the top. Share your feedback on Wetpaint Central.)
Definitive truth. A plane on a conveyor belt can take off Shot in the Backpack quotes?
Superhero Signals MythBusters: Jan. 2008 - Dec. 2008 MythBusters Look-a-Likes
Plane on a Conveyor Belt Car central locking stone arrow heads
Cabin fever and its consequences One g roll Official MythBusters Fan Site

Top Contributors