19. Some Scientists Believe Yawning Is A Form Of Communication
Scientists aren’t sure what exactly it is that people are communicating by yawning. However, people who are more prone to contagious yawning are also more empathetic and tend to have stronger social networks than people who are less likely to yawn contagiously. Yawning seems to have a social component.
There seem to be some social benefits to yawning, particularly when we yawn in response to somebody else’s yawn. Yawning appears to be an incredibly social behavior, in addition to its physiological aspects and benefits.