Washington, July 31: Yawning seems to have more to it than catches the eye (or mouth!). A new study reveals that how vulnerable a person is to contacting a yawn tells more about his psyche.
Washington, July 31: Yawning seems to have more to it than catches the eye (or mouth!). A new study reveals that how vulnerable a person is to contacting a yawn tells more about his psyche.
Earlier, studies have shown that 40-60 percent of people who watch videos or hear talk about yawning end up joining in.

According to latest research by psychologist Steven Platek, self-aware or empathetic people are more likely to catch the yawns, according to a report in Nature.

Platek and his colleagues at the State University of New York in Albany sat subjects in front of videos of others yawning and tallied their responses to find out why people are susceptible or immune to contracting yawns.

Those impervious to the infection also struggle to put themselves in other people's shoes, psychological tests showed. For example, they might be less likely to recognize that a social faux pas or insult could cause someone else offence.

Identifying with another's state of mind while they yawn may trigger an unconscious impersonation, the team suggests. The findings might also explain why schizophrenics, who have particular difficulty in doing this, rarely catch yawns.

Yawning's underlying cause still remains obscure. However, one common perception - that it is triggered in an airless room by lack of oxygen - has been disproved. Experiments show that people given more oxygen or carbon dioxide are just as likely to yawn.

Bureau Report