Barbara Feldman: Is Yawning Contagious?

I think it is contagious, I don't know if this is the exact word, but it always happens to me
even when I try hard to avoid it, if I see someone yawning or if I think about this I can't stop. Even now you 'll have to see me, it is just 11.24 am and for me looks as if it is time to go to bed

I have been able to demonstrate that yawning is not necessarily a contagious activity (Provine, 1989, Platek, et al, 2003). In fact I find little correlation between yawning and contagion in classroom situations, especially. I rarely yawn when one of my students yawns. In fact, I believe that yawning is the individual's physiological manifestation of the processing of conflict between two or more competing stimuli.

Stephen Rafe, Graduate Studies Adjunct Professor, Research Methods

I have been able to demonstrate that yawning is not necessarily a contagious activity (Provine, 1989, Platek, et al, 2003). In fact I find little correlation between yawning and contagion in classroom situations, especially. I rarely yawn when one of my students yawns. In fact, I believe that yawning is the individual's physiological manifestation of the processing of conflict between two or more competing stimuli.

Stephen Rafe, Graduate Studies Adjunct Professor, Research Methods

See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_cells