Yawn.....

What a wierd word!!

I have woke up this morning feeling a bit 'not with it', rather headachey (which is becoming the norm now!) and feeling very very tired!! Yawn yawn!

I've also been blog hopping.. and whilst doing so.. I found this - Very interesting facts about - you guessed it - yawning!!

The Social Yawn:

All animals yawn and in humans yawning seems to be contagious. Seeing another person yawn, or even just reading about yawning can make you yawn.

You can pretty precisely define what a yawn is. The characteristics are instantly recognisable: the screwed-up eyes, the head thrown back and of course - the gaping maw.

In humans a yawn typically lasts around six to eight seconds. We do know that it is found in all vetebrates and that it develops early - even 10 week old human foetuses yawn. (it has even been suggested that fish yawn!).

It can be a way for a group to signal to itself something like "time for bed" or "we're bored, let's do something else now".

Pre-school children don't catch yawning off others. This would fit with research in child psychology which suggests that, until around the age of three or four children, aren't able to think about other people's states of mind. They don't have what many people would call empathy. One aspect of this lack may be that they don't socially mimic others like adults do, and hence don't catch yawns.
You can bet that the next time i'm around a three year old I'll be yawning at them to see if they copy me.
Supporting the connection between automatic contaigon of yawning is research published earlier this year which showed that people who are higher in empathy are more likely to catch yawns off other people.

In humans yawning can reflect our profound capacity to unconsciously and automatically be influenced by the behaviour of others. Catching other's yawns is fundamental to the social imitation that is so advanced in humans. Yawning in synchrony is more common amoung potential lovers - not as a sign of bordom, but as an expression of their mutual empathy and attraction!

So, there you have it... I am obviously attracted to my puppy Holly... she is the only one on the bed with me who is also yawning.... and I am obviously not just tired! (Yeah right - tell my eyes that later!)

Bye for now! Enjoy your day..