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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 16, 2026

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats

A Laboratory Method to Measure Contagious Yawning in Rats

Published on: June 14, 2019

Yawning in depression: worth looking into.

T Hensch¹, A Blume², D Böttger²

¹Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Pharmacopsychiatry

|February 28, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study found that increased yawning in depression is likely linked to antidepressant treatment, not a symptom of major depression itself. Further research is needed on yawning in untreated depression.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Clinical Psychology

Background:

Major depression (MD) is linked to sleep disturbances and fatigue.
Yawning typically increases with sleep propensity.
No studies directly compare yawning frequency in MD patients versus controls.

Discussion:

A literature review found no studies on yawning in MD patients.
Antidepressant use is associated with increased yawning frequency.
Analysis of online depression forum data indicated yawning was reported by patients undergoing antidepressant treatment.

Key Insights:

Increased yawning in the context of depression is primarily associated with antidepressant treatment, not an intrinsic symptom of MD.
Out of 63 forum users reporting increased yawning, 62 were on antidepressants.
Yawning was predominantly described as a side effect of medication.

Outlook:

Investigate yawning frequency in untreated MD patients.
Determine if yawning can serve as a predictor for depression treatment outcomes.
Explore the relationship between yawning, tonic hyperarousal, and antidepressant efficacy.