HEALTH
That's why we are forced to yawn.
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Whether we are sleepy or tired, bored or just watching someone do it, we often find ourselves forced to yawn
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Yawning is nothing but a reflex of deep inhalation and exhalation of breath
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This is an act we perform about 250,000 times in our lifetime, which is precisely why scientists have always wondered about the reasons why we do it, although there is no unambiguous answer
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But experts have also constantly questioned why yawning is contagious, that is, why one person is likely to yawn after seeing or hearing another do the same thing
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According to a recent study, it appears that this is due to empathy between people: indeed, contagion is more common among close relatives and minimal among strangers
Also confirming this theory is the fact that children reflexively begin yawning around age 4-5, when they are able to correctly recognize others' emotions
