Imagine sitting in a meeting at your job and yawning. What would
happen to you? Some bosses would get angry if they saw their
employees yawning during a meeting. The boss would think you were
showing up for work tired, or you thought the presentation was
boring.
How about children? What would happen to a child yawning in class?
Would the teacher think the child isn’t paying attention and get
irritated? In many cases the answer is yes.
The common belief is that when someone is yawning, that means they
are bored or tired. However, those aren’t the only reasons why
people yawn.
According to psychologists and researchers , yawning has nothing to
do with boredom, rudeness, or even fatigue. It’s quite the
contrary. According to Andrew Gallup, a researcher who specializes
in yawning at New York’s University of Binghamton, “Yawning helps
cool down our brains so they function better.”
“Our brains are like computers,” says Gallup. “They operate most
efficiently when cool. Our research indicates that we yawn in
response to increased brain or body temperature.”
Another thing yawning does is provide a means for increased
alertness and arousal. So if anything, it’s a mechanism to
recharge you so you can better absorb information. Yawning can
also help you relax.
So while yawning is actually a good thing to do, many people and
children try to hide it or not yawn in work, school, and social
settings. This is because they fear getting in trouble for yawning.
So try not to stop the yawning process. If you feel like you need
to yawn, do it. If you have children and they are yawning,
understand that it’s a good thing, and it doesn’t always mean they
are tired.
If you are a boss, business owner, or you manage employees,
understand that when an employee of yours yawns during a meeting or
presentation, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are bored or tired.
They may just be cooling down their brains and increasing their
alertness.
Have a great day!
Dr. Justin Trosclair dc
Source: Contra Costa Times
