Why does seeing someone yawn make us yawn? 6 Minute English
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Have you ever wondered why seeing someone yawn also makes you yawn? According to researchers, it makes a difference if you think of yourself as similar to the person who started the yawning. Georgina and Rob discuss yawning and teach you related vocabulary.
This week's question
What biological function does yawning have?
a: To take in more oxygen
b: To get rid of carbon dioxide from our body
c: No one really knows
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
𝐕𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲
𝐚 𝐲𝐚𝐰𝐧 / 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐚𝐰𝐧
breathe in and out with our mouth stretched open
𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬
can be spread from one person to another
𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫
an action, often automatic, in response to a particular situation
𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞
connected to mental processes and the way our minds work
𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 (𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩)
to feel close to and have a sense of belonging to (a group)
𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 (𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫)
do, show (a behaviour)
To download the transcript and the audio, go to our webpage: www.bbc.co.uk/l...
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#LearnEnglish #6MinuteEnglish #BBCLearningEnglish
I think sometimes even seeing the word "yawn" makes us yawn.
I think because the thumbnail not the word.
It did when I saw the video 😂
I yawned by listening to them speaking about yawning
Exactly same..
It really worked I yawn😂😂😬
I yawned when I watched the image. It’s so relaxing! However, this would happen even when I saw a stranger doing it. Probably we don’t need to be feeling close actually, just some kind of connection is enough. I love this program! Thank you!
Yeah, so did I
TEACHER What does yawning mean?
STUDENT yawning is our body's way of saying
20% battery remaining
😂 A great way of expressing it!
I have yawned five times during watching this lesson.
Yaaa maaaan
i too are yawn listening to this lesson
Me too
Hhhhhh
i was cracking up man thx
I yawned 3 times at least..... before i finished posting this reply I did again🙈🙈🙈🙈🙈
Who else here yawning too right after Georgina and Rob yawning
When I'm doing praying, I'm always yawning every time people around me are yawning as well. It really is contagious behaviour.
Thank you BBC Learning❤
Hey, great effect, I did yawn when you showed this sample behaviour on the video. I really enjoyed this episode of the 6M English. Thank you for helping us!
I yawned four times looking at video's thumbnail 🤣
It's really infectious then!
@@bbclearningenglish yaa it is infectious that I've slept in my office 🤣
Me too. It's so strange 😂😂😂
hello I'm from Indonesia. This video really helped me, I was able to broaden my knowledge while doing my schoolwork. Thank you BBC Learning❤️
Thank you for studying with us! 🥰 Stick with us for more great lessons 👍
I usually yawn when I'm tired, hungry or bored. Keep it up.
As long as you're not yawning when you're watching our videos, we are happy! 😃
I never yawn if I'm watching theirs videos!
I love it!👋🏽
Perfect reply! Thanks! 😃
Thank you, BBC>
Thanks a lot & best wishes for the new year!
Happy New Year to you!
Hi 🙋🏼♀️
Great as always 😍
Really I’m yawning now 😴
Alice Williams 😂 🥱
Thank you for your nice topic. It's too easy to learning.
Thank you for all videos. I try to improve my english and BBC Learning english benefit for me 👍
So useful word
Good vedios thanks for the informations.
What a nice video! I always try to get benefit from your helpful factors! As well as, I have been able to develop my English with u! Thank u so much for your great videos, BBC Learning English! Greetings from Baku-the capital city of Azerbaijan!
Greetings from London! We hope you've had a good year and that 2020 will be fantastic. Thanks for your kind words. 😃
@@bbclearningenglish can't wait for the BBC to be defunded.
I really yawned four times when listening to your news. Does it mean, I am very close with BBC? 👍
It took me approximately 3 minutes of yawning, during reading the comments 😂
Watching Manchester City matches always makes me yawn.
Thank you for very nice new words
You're welcome!
would you please post the app link, I need to download it 🙏
It isn't funny ? I was listening this program about yawn and I began to yawn 😴😴😴😴 is contagious even by youtube 🤣🤣🤣
Yawning is contagious. If one person yawn ,the other person also start yawning.ln my opinion yawning is much related to boredom than tiredness.
It's incredible the number of times that I yawned while I was seeing this video. 😲
Transcript
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript
Georgina
Hello. This is 6 Minute English, I'm Georgina.
Rob
And I'm Rob.
Georgina
What do you do when you’re tired, Rob?
Rob
Mm, I go to bed.
Georgina
Before that?
Rob
Erm, I clean my teeth?
Georgina
But what does your body do to tell you you’re tired?
Rob
Right, well these days I just kind of fall asleep in front of the TV.
Georgina
Yes, but, OK - what am I doing now?
Rob
Oh yes, hang on - yes, you’ve set me off - yawning, yes yawning is a sign that we are tired! Or bored!
Georgina
Are you tired or bored now?
Rob
No, not particularly.
Georgina
So, why did you just yawn?
Rob
Well, because you did! That’s the thing about yawns. They are contagious - they can spread from one person to another.
Georgina
And that’s what we’re looking at in this programme. But first, today’s question. What biological function does yawning have? Essentially, why do we yawn? Is it:
A: To take in more oxygen
B: To get rid of carbon dioxide from our body
C: No one really knows
What do you think, Rob?
Rob
Ah - I know this. We yawn to take in more oxygen. I’m pretty sure that’s it.
Georgina
OK. We’ll see if you’re correct at the end of the programme. John Drury is a researcher from Sussex University. On the BBC Radio 4 series All in The Mind he spoke about yawning and why it is contagious. Which animal does he mention will also catch a yawn from its owner?
John Drury
Yawning is actually a difficult case when it comes to these contagious behaviours. It is the most contagious behaviour - it’s meant to be automatic, it’s something that you can’t stop. Dogs yawn when their owners yawn, animals yawn to each other. It happens whether you want to or not. These kind of effects have been found for other kinds of behaviour, so really, we were trying to push it as far as we could and see if there is a cognitive element to this influence behaviour.
Georgina
Which animal might yawn when its owner does?
Rob
Dogs! Dogs can catch a yawn from their owners.
Georgina
Yes, yawning is a very contagious behaviour. The use of the word behaviour here is interesting. Normally it is an uncountable noun to describe the way we act - either in a good or a bad way. We talk about, for example, dogs' or children’s behaviour being good or bad.
Rob
But it’s also used as an uncountable noun when we are talking about a particular action that, for example, an animal makes in particular situations. These behaviours are often not conscious, but are an automatic response to a situation.
Georgina
And the researchers were looking to see if there was a cognitive side to the behaviour. Which means they are looking at the mental process - what is happening in the mind to make us yawn, particularly when someone else yawns. Let’s listen again
John Drury
Yawning is actually a difficult case when it comes to these contagious behaviours. It is the most contagious behaviour - it’s meant to be auto matic, it’s something that you can’t stop. Dogs yawn when their owners yawn, animals yawn to each other. It happens whether you want to or not. These kinds of effects have been found for other kinds of behaviour, so really, we were trying to push it as far as we could and see if there is a cognitive element to this influence behaviour.
Georgina
The research discovered that contagious yawning is connected with our social group and how close we feel to the people in it. Here’s John Drury again.
John Drury
So, the more that you identify with the in-group target, the more likely you are to copy their behaviour. What we do when we see a behaviour is that at some level, we are making a judgement about whether the person exhibiting that behaviour, whether it’s an emotion, or a scratching behaviour, or anything, is relevant. Does their behaviour indicate to us how we should behave?
Georgina
So, essentially, yawning is more contagious if we identify with the person who yawns first. If we feel close to, and belong in, the same group as the person who exhibits the behaviour - the person who does the yawning - we are likely to yawn too.
Rob
So, you are less likely to yawn if a stranger yawns than if someone in your close family or circle of friends yawns.
Georgina
Let’s listen again.
John Drury
So, the more that you identify with the in-group target, the more likely you are to copy their behaviour. What we do when we see a behaviour is that at some level, we are making a judgement about whether the person exhibiting that behaviour, whether it’s an emotion, or a scratching behaviour, or anything, is relevant. Does their behaviour indicate to us how we should behave?
Georgina
Right, before we review the vocabulary, let’s have the answer to our quiz. Why do we yawn? Is it:
A: To take in more oxygen
B: To get rid of carbon dioxide from our body
C: No one really knows
Rob, what did you say?
Rob
Well, I was pretty sure it’s A - to take in more oxygen.
Georgina
There is, in fact, no clear biological reason for yawning that is agreed upon. So no one really knows.
Rob
We’ve been talking about yawning. The action of opening our mouths wide open and stretching our eardrums when tired or bored.
Georgina
Yawning can also be contagious. This means it can pass from one person to another.
Rob
And a yawn can be described as a behaviour - a particular kind of automatic action in response to a particular situation.
Georgina
The word cognitive is related to our mental processes - the way our minds work.
Rob
If you identify with a particular group - you feel close to that group and feel that you belong in that group.
Georgina
And finally, to exhibit a behaviour is to actually do that particular behaviour. And before we all start yawning, it’s time for us to go. Do join us again soon and you can always find us online, on social media and on the BBC Learning English app. Bye for now.
Rob
Bye!
yawn is a sign of getting tired and needing to have a rest, or to sleep
Yawned 😂 , and I was the same with Neil, pretty sure about why we yawn but turns out we were wrong, so amazing our body is, we can't explain why we yawn but we can send our guys to moon 🌚 .
It is amazing. Although science has advanced so much, there are still basic things about our body and life on earth that we don't know yet.
i watch this lesson at 4am, and i am yawning now.
This is the only video that make me yawn from beginning to end, not for content but picture :)))))
I can't ywan and it's killing me.
I was yawning while watching the video !!! 😂
@Alice Williams
😂😂
Its a amazing
i get it when i see somebody yawning and i start yawning myself, but sometimes i start to yawn even when i only say or read the word without looking at somebody yawning, has this ever happened to you?
Absolutely! Even teaching this lesson made us tired!
@@bbclearningenglish, they also say that yawning improves the quality of voice, at least Morgan Freeman says so, so it might be more than just intake of oxygen or a sign of being tired
and thanks for your work, fascinating and valuable
I was yawning while i was watching this video. Maybe several times😑
I start yawn when I listen this topic.🤣🤣🤣.And I start to belive yawning can infect.
When I saw the tile, I was yawning HAHAH..
Me also 😂
😆
But I have a qusetion what is the past and p.p of yawn
'Yawned' is the past and past participle of 'yawn'
While watching video, I have slept
Man, I yawned while I was listening to your show, god damn
🤣🤣
I've heard that it's mostly possible that you yawn to change the body temperature
This video made me yawn 4 times during watching
Why you don’t have subtitles???
When the scratch of a pen on capitol hill caused crwons to rattle what does this mean silmply
While I saw this photo of yawning girl, I also yawned twice over.
I yawned too in this lesson lol
I thought it is related to mirror neuron.
5:47
5:13
I think tiredness is a clue for which we yawn so I can't believe why science hasn't yet discovered the reason behind yawning.
It is a process our bodies make to function as normal as they can, when we are tired or bored.
If, for example, my bro yawns in front of me because he is tired, I will not yawn if I'm full of energy.
i yawned when I learned English :0 fine
😂😂
STILL CHILL
I felt yawning 🥱
I have yawned 9 times during watching the video
Haha - wow, maybe it's time to go to bed!
I want to yawn right now
They didn't answer the question
This is not always true.
I'm not anderstanding plase help me i wont to learn Englihs 🥺🥺🥺🥺
Try one of our courses to help you build up your understanding: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/lower-intermediate
If you spend a little bit of time on this course every day, your English will quickly improve and these video lessons will become easier and easier for you.
Good luck on your English language journey this year..!
I'm always feel yawn 😝😔😔😔
If you are always yawning because you are not getting enough sleep, check our guide to getting a good night's sleep: ua-cam.com/video/HZd53TJpmoQ/v-deo.html
why does seeing someone yawn ^^makes^^ or ^^make ^^ us yawn ?
@Alice Williams why honey ?
I do not understand . I think i need improve listening skill
Try listening while reading the transcript. You can always find a link to the transcripts of our 6 Minute English videos in the description box below our videos. For this video's transcript, click here: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-200102
Poor girl. Her jaw must really hurt.
Next video would be why do we pee? 🙄🙄
🤣🤣
Good, the cat also yawn like dog or us!!!!!!
I remark that
Why does seeing someone yawning making us to yawn? because the Satan is in there who makes us and them to yawn.
I have yawned many times while listening to the video 🥱🥱🥱🥱 oh my God
😂😂😂😂
Why you don’t have subtitles???
You can find the transcript to our 6 Minute English videos in the description box below the video. For this particular video, you can find that here: www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-200102