Is yawning contagious?

Definitely contagious! LOL

I found lots of theories but no clear answers. My favorite one was that it signal led to the clan in early man to start finding shelter for the night. One professor suggested if you yawn subtly in a crowd anyone who yawns shortly afterward was paying more attention to you than the others. The phenomenon was also observed in chimpanzees. It looks like it is only "contagious" in 40 to 60% of the population.

Its contagious! Even if we don't see people yawning we can get to yawn just by simply reading it or thinking of it. Maybe, our subconscious mind do it. I just yawn twice writing this. lol

i believe so too.

Yes it is, but not everyone. Studies showed that people with high imagination are most likely get affected by it when they see or hear or even read about someone yawning! Wow, I am actually yawning right now! No joke!

I have also experienced this, I don't know why it is contagious, but it is surely. I always yawn when somebody next to me yawns, and I only realize after that why I was yawning. Because many times I am not tired, nor excited or bored(these things make me yawn all the time) and I am still yawning. It is strange, but maybe this is a reflex of our body.

hi bryeunade yes as when I yawn at the lunch table my other three tablemates all yawned too. its as though the others bodies told them hey you need more oxygen too so better do like she is and get some good old air to your body and your brain. You can do this in a large auditorium too. Say at a concert. You yawn, the person next to you yawns then suddenly there are a lot of people all yawning. It is partly psychological and partly instinctive behavior making us get more oxygen into our systems.

Strange, it doesn't occur to me though. I think it's just a kind of image that runs through the mind and that the mind will kind of repeat the same kind of image, which connects that to any organ of our body :)

Yawning is normal. It is your body's reaction when it needs more oxygen in the blood stream and your brain. It is a normal process of the body to cope up with the situations and there's nothing to worry about it and nothing to be ashamed. Yawning is healthy.

I have actually tried this one out on my cat and purposely yawned infront of him....and guess what, he yawned too - so it seems to be contagious between species too ,lol

I have read studies that support that yawning is contagious and I have read stories where they are not contagious. My own personal belief is that they are not, but I am not a scientist or an expert ha, but I am a veteran yawner at school.