YAWNING

What makes us yawn? Yawning is something that we cannot control. Even in the mother’s womb, eleven-week-old babies have been observed to yawn. But why do we do it?

One popular explanation for yawning is that a person may be tired or bored. Although many believe this to be true, it cannot explain why athletes yawn before an event or why dogs yawn before an attack.

It is said that yawning is caused by a lack of oxygen and excess carbon dioxide. A good example of this is when we yawn in groups. We yawn because we are competing for air.

Others even believe that we yawn to cool our brains off. Cool brains allow us to think more clearly so yawning is said to help us become more alert.

Reference: McManus, M. R. (2001). What makes us Yawn? Retrieved from: Howstuffworks com http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/question572.htm