Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Thermoregulation01:26

Thermoregulation

The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...
Body Temperature01:25

Body Temperature

The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...
Body Temperature01:07

Body Temperature

Body temperature reflects the equilibrium between heat production and heat loss within the body. Most heat is generated by metabolically active tissues, particularly the liver, heart, brain, kidneys, and endocrine organs. At rest, skeletal muscles contribute 20–30% of total heat production, but during vigorous exercise, this can increase up to 30–40 times.
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C (97–99°F), remaining relatively stable...
Mechanism of heat transfer01:19

Mechanism of heat transfer

Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
Thermosensation01:43

Thermosensation

Peripheral thermosensation is the perception of external temperature. A change in temperature (on the surface of the skin and other tissues) is detected by a family of temperature-sensitive ion channels called Transient Receptor Potential, or TRP, receptors. These receptors are located on free nerve endings. Those detecting cold temperatures are closer to the surface of the skin than the nerve endings detecting warmth. These thermoTRP channels, while temperature selective, have relatively...
What is Homeostasis?01:16

What is Homeostasis?

Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously maintain its internal conditions. Each physiological condition has a particular set point, from body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is a restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable. For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F). Physiological...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

YawnStim: a standardized and diverse video stimulus set.

PeerJ·2026
Same author

Sports, team games, and physical skill competitions as an important source of symbolic material culture with low preservation probability.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

Emotional Contagion in Animals: Connections and Applications.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2024
Same author

On the link between rapid eye movement sleep and yawning.

Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung·2023
Same author

The Role of Empathic Concern and Gender on Interspecific Contagious Yawning in Humans.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2023
Same author

Interspecific Contagious Yawning in Humans.

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI·2022
Same journal

Preface.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
Same journal

Hypocretin/Orexin, Sleep and Alzheimer's Disease.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
Same journal

Sleep and Metabolism: Implication of Lateral Hypothalamic Neurons.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
Same journal

The Insomnia-Addiction Positive Feedback Loop: Role of the Orexin System.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
Same journal

Heterogeneity of Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
Same journal

Hypocretin/Orexin Receptor Pharmacology and Sleep Phases.

Frontiers of neurology and neuroscience·2021
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
07:54

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

A thermoregulatory behavior.

Andrew C Gallup1

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, Binghamton, N.Y., USA.

Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience
|April 2, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Yawning, a common behavior in vertebrates, is crucial for regulating body temperature in mammals. This involuntary action helps cool the brain, maintaining thermal homeostasis and promoting arousal.

More Related Videos

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
10:07

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Published on: November 6, 2015

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
06:57

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Published on: November 11, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
07:54

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds
10:07

Thermal Imaging to Study Stress Non-invasively in Unrestrained Birds

Published on: November 6, 2015

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice
06:57

Determining Basal Energy Expenditure and the Capacity of Thermogenic Adipocytes to Expend Energy in Obese Mice

Published on: November 11, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Biology

Background:

  • Yawning is observed across vertebrate species, suggesting fundamental biological roles.
  • Its spontaneous and involuntary nature implies adaptive significance.
  • Emerging research points to thermoregulation as a primary function in homeotherms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of yawning in thermoregulation and cortical arousal.
  • To synthesize evidence supporting yawning as a response to transient brain hyperthermia.
  • To explore the implications of thermoregulatory dysfunction in diseases.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of yawning behavior across species (birds, rats, humans).
  • Examination of the influence of ambient temperature on yawning frequency and intensity.
  • Assessment of behavioral cooling methods on yawn inhibition.

Main Results:

  • Yawning effectively reduces both brain and body temperature.
  • Yawning is modulated by ambient temperature fluctuations.
  • Behavioral cooling strategies inhibit yawning, supporting its thermoregulatory role.
  • Yawning facilitates cortical arousal, acting as a response to increased brain temperature.

Conclusions:

  • Yawning is a physiological mechanism for maintaining thermal homeostasis by countering brain hyperthermia.
  • This thermoregulatory function integrates diverse observations about yawning behavior.
  • The findings have implications for understanding thermoregulatory dysfunction and related diseases.