yawn
Sign in to saveA yawn is a reflex in vertebrate animals characterized by a long inspiratory phase with gradual mouth gaping, followed by a brief climax (or acme) with muscle stretching, and a rapid expiratory phase with muscle relaxation, which typically lasts a few seconds. For fish and birds, this is described as gradual mouth gaping, staying open for at least three seconds and subsequently a rapid closure of the mouth. Almost all vertebrate animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish, experience yawning. The study of yawning is called chasmology.
AI overview
A yawn is a reflex that occurs across nearly all vertebrate animals, involving a sequence of gradual mouth opening, brief muscle stretching, and quick muscle relaxation that typically lasts a few seconds. While yawning is a common physical response found in mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, scientists study this phenomenon through a field called chasmology.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Body process.name
- Yawn
- Body process.image
- Yawning koala bear (3589381656) (cropped).jpg
- Body process.caption
- A yawning koala, 1936
- Body process.organisms
- Vertebrates
- Body process.biological system
- Nervous system
- Body process.health
- Unaffected or beneficial
- Body process.action
- Involuntary
- Body process.method
- Complete extension of jaw, inhalation, eyes close, stretching of the eardrum, exhalation
- Body process.duration
- Usually 6 seconds
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Proposed causes
- Social function
- Relation to empathy
- Non-human
- Culture
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A yawn is a reflex in vertebrate animals characterized by a long inspiratory phase with gradual mouth gaping, followed by a brief climax (or acme) with muscle stretching, and a rapid expiratory phase with muscle relaxation, which typically lasts a few seconds. For fish and birds, this is described as gradual mouth gaping, staying open for at least three seconds and subsequently a rapid closure of the mouth. Almost all vertebrate animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even fish, experience yawning. The study of yawning is called chasmology.
Yawning (oscitation) most often occurs in adults immediately before and after sleep, during tedious activities and as a result of its contagious quality. It is commonly associated with tiredness, stress, sleepiness, boredom, or even hunger. In humans, yawning is often triggered by the perception that others are yawning (for example, seeing a person yawning, or talking to someone on the phone who is yawning). This is a typical example of echopraxia and positive feedback. This "contagious" yawning has also been observed in chimpanzees, dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles and can occur between members of different species. Approximately twenty psychological reasons for yawning have been proposed by scholars, but there is little agreement on the primacy of any one.