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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats

Published on: June 14, 2019

Changes in Physiology before, during, and after Yawning.

Timothy P Corey¹, Melanie L Shoup-Knox, Elana B Gordis

¹Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York Albany, NY, USA.

Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience

|February 10, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Yawning involves physiological changes like increased heart rate and lung volume, suggesting it may help cool the brain. These specific physiological responses distinguish yawning from deep breaths.

Keywords:

brain cooling heart rate physiology respiration temperature thermoregulation yawning

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Area of Science:

Physiology
Neuroscience
Behavioral Science

Background:

The precise function of yawning in humans remains a subject of scientific inquiry.
Previous research has not definitively established the physiological underpinnings of yawning.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the physiological mechanisms associated with the behavior of yawning in humans.
To differentiate the physiological patterns of yawning from those of non-yawning deep inhalations.

Main Methods:

Collected physiological data (heart rate, lung volume, etc.) from 75 seconds before, during, and after yawns in two human studies.
Analyzed physiological changes at baseline, during yawning, and immediately post-yawn.
Compared yawning physiological data with data from deep inhalations.

Main Results:

Observed increases in heart rate, lung volume, and eye muscle tension during or immediately after yawning.
Found that the respiration period increased following a yawn in one study.
Demonstrated that physiological changes during yawning were largely specific to the act of yawning itself.

Conclusions:

The physiological patterns observed during yawning are distinct from those during deep inhalations.
Findings support the brain cooling hypothesis as the most plausible explanation for the function of yawning.