May 19, 2010

On a Lighter Note...

Yawn If You're Interested

Justin Katz

Just because it's interesting:

... According to psychologists and researchers who study such things, yawning has nothing to do with boredom, rudeness, or even fatigue. Quite the contrary. Yawning helps cool down our brains so they function better, explains Andrew Gallup, a researcher who specializes in yawning at New York's University of Binghamton.

"Our brains are like computers," says Gallup, who conducted yawning studies in 2007 with his father, Gordon, of the State University of New York at Albany. "They operate most efficiently when cool. Our research indicates that we yawn in response to increased brain or body temperature."

Apparently, we associate yawning with tiredness because our body temperature is highest just before and just after sleep, but in general, it just means that our brains are overheating and need a boost of cool air.

1:49 PM
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Thank you, Now I know that when I watch meetings at the State House, the yawns of my representatives are due to them being either exposed to, or full of, excessive hot air.

Posted by: mangeek at May 20, 2010 12:09 AM