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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Since You Asked: Pedestrians can be cited for carelessness ... Wolf once believed to be dead shows up near Crater Lake ... One of Oregon's two health insurance co-ops says it will shut down ... Since You Asked: Pedestrians can be cited for carelessness ... Wolf once believed to be dead shows up near Crater Lake ... One of Oregon's two health insurance co-ops says it will shut down ... Lost in Suburbia: Open wide and say, 'Yawn' Comment By Tracy Beckerman More Content Now MailTribune.com By Tracy Beckerman More Content Now Posted May. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Tracy Beckerman More Content Now Posted May. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News My husband yawned. Then I yawned. Then he yawned again. Then I yawned. “Cut it out!” I finally barked at him. “What?” “Yawning. Every time you yawn it makes me yawn,” I complained. “I can’t help it,” he replied. “And you don’t have to yawn just because I do.” “Yes, I do,” I said. “It’s called Contagious Yawning. When you’re tired or bored you spontaneously yawn, but when you see, hear or even think about yawning and you yawn, that’s contagious yawning.” He gave me that look. The one that suggests I’m two fries short of a Happy Meal. Then he gave me that other look that suggests he’d rather be anywhere in the world than having this conversation with me. And then he yawned again. So I yawned, “STOP THAT!” I bellowed. “Sorry.” “You know, contagious yawning is actually linked to empathy. They’re located in the same part of the brain,” I continued. “That’s just fascinating, honey,” he said and yawned again. Then I yawned. “I must be very empathetic,” I commented. “Or bored,” he added. “… like me.” “There have actually been a lot of studies about this,” I continued. “Scientists know that we do this, but they don’t know WHY we do it. Animals do it, too. I saw a TV report once and it showed chimpanzees and baboons yawning when they saw another monkey yawn. “Really,” he said distractedly. He had moved on to flipping channels on the TV. Then he yawned. And then I yawned. And then the dog yawned. “Did you know that even dogs have been known to yawn when their owners yawned,” I said, observing the dog. “Do you think the dog just yawned because he saw us yawn?” “I think he just yawned because he doesn’t care about the monkeys either,” my husband remarked. I was starting to get the idea that my husband wasn’t particularly interested in this topic. He certainly was yawning a lot. But that didn’t mean he was bored. It could just mean he was tired. Or a little oxygen deficient. Or needed to stretch his jaw muscles. Personally I thought this was a fascinating topic and one worth knowing much more about. Here’s another interesting fact,” I said, reading from the Internet. “Did you know the closer you are to someone, the more likely you are to yawn when they yawn. Married couples yawn a lot.” He yawned. “I can see why.” Become a fan of Lost in Suburbia on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LostinSuburbiaFanPage. By Tracy Beckerman More Content Now MailTribune.com By Tracy Beckerman More Content Now Posted May. 13, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501