Georgina: Hello. This is 6 Minute English,
I'm Georgina.
Rob: And I'm Rob.
Georgina: What do you do when you’re tired, Rob?
Rob: Mm, I go to bed.
Georgina: Before that?
Rob: Erm, I clean my teeth?
Georgina: But what does your body do to
tell you you’re tired?
Rob: Right, well these days I just kind of
fall asleep in front of the TV.
Georgina: Yes, but, OK – what am
I doing now?
Rob: O h yes, hang on – yes, you’ve set
me off - yawning, yes yawning is a sign that
we are tired! Or bored!
Georgina: Are you tired or bored now?
Rob: No, not particularly.
Georgina: So, why did you just yawn?
Rob: Well, because you did! That’s the thing
about yawns. They are contagious – they
can spread from one person to another.
Georgina: And that’s what we’re looking
at in this programme. But first, today’s
question. What biological function does yawning
have? Essentially, why do we yawn? Is it:
A: To take in more oxygen
B: To get rid of carbon dioxide from our body
C: No one really knows
What do you think, Rob?
Rob: Ah – I know this. We yawn to take in
more oxygen. I’m pretty sure that’s it.
Georgina: OK. We’ll see if you’re correct
at the end of the programme. John Drury is
a researcher from Sussex University. On
the BBC Radio 4 series All in The Mind he spoke
about yawning and why it is contagious.
Which animal does he mention will also
catch a yawn
from its owner?
John Drury: Yawning is actually a difficult
case when it comes to
these contagious behaviours.
It is the most contagious behaviour – it’s
meant to be automatic, it’s something that
you can’t stop. Dogs yawn when their owners
yawn, animals yawn to each other. It happens
whether you want to or not. These kind of
effects have been found for other kinds of
behaviour, so really, we were trying to push
it as far as we could and see if there is
a cognitive element to this influence behaviour.
Georgina: Which animal might yawn when its
owner does?
Rob: Dogs! Dogs can catch a yawn
from their owners.
Georgina: Yes, yawning is a very contagious
behaviour. The use of the word behaviour here
is interesting. Normally it is an uncountable
noun to describe the way we act – either
in a good or a bad way. We talk about, for
example, dogs' or children’s behaviour being
good or bad.
Rob: But it’s also used as an uncountable
noun when we are talking about a particular
action that, for example, an animal makes
in particular situations. These behaviours
are often not conscious, but are an automatic
response to a situation.
Georgina: And the researchers were looking
to see if there was a cognitive side to the
behaviour. Which means they are looking at
the mental process – what is happening in
the mind to make us yawn, particularly when
someone else yawns. Let’s listen again
John Drury: Yawning is actually a difficult
case when it comes to these
contagious behaviours.
It is the most contagious behaviour – it’s
meant to be automatic, it’s something that
you can’t stop. Dogs yawn when their owners
yawn, animals yawn to each other. It happens
whether you want to or not. These kinds of
effects have been found for other kinds of
behaviour, so really, we were trying to push
it as far as we could and see if there is
a cognitive element
to this influence behaviour.
Georgina: The research discovered
that contagious
yawning is connected with
our social group
and how close we feel to the people in it.
Here’s John Drury again.
John Drury : So, the more that you identify
with the in-group target, the more likely
you are to copy their behaviour. What we do
when we see a behaviour is that at some level,
we are making a judgement about whether the
person exhibiting that
behaviour, whether
it’s an emotion, or a scratching behaviour,
or anything, is relevant. Does
their behaviour
indicate to us how we should behave?
Georgina: So, essentially, yawning is more
contagious if we identify with the person
who yawns first. If we feel close to, and
belong in, the same group as the person who
exhibits the behaviour – the person who
does the yawning – we are likely to yawn
too.
Rob: So, you are less likely to yawn if a
stranger yawns than if someone in your close
family or circle of friends yawns.
Georgina: Let’s listen again.
John Drury: So, the more that you identify
with the in-group target, the more likely
you are to copy their behaviour. What we
do when we see a behaviour is that at some level,
we are making a judgement about
whether the person exhibiting that behaviour, whether
it’s an emotion, or a scratching behaviour,
or anything, is relevant. Does their behaviour
indicate to us how we should behave?
Georgina: Right, before we review the
vocabulary, let’s
have the answer to our quiz. Why do we
yawn? Is it:
A: To take in more oxygen
B: To get rid of carbon dioxide from our body
C: No one really knows
Rob, what did you say?
Rob: Well, I was pretty sure it’s A - to
take in more oxygen.
Georgina: There is, in fact, no clear biological
reason for yawning that is agreed upon. So
no one really knows.
Rob: We’ve been talking about yawning.
The action of opening our mouths wide open and
stretching our eardrums when tired or bored.
Georgina: Yawning can also be contagious.
This means it can pass from
one person to another.
Rob: And a yawn can be described as a behaviour
– a particular kind of automatic action
in response to a particular situation.
Georgina: The word cognitive is related to
our mental processes - the way our minds work.
Rob: If you identify with a particular group
– you feel close to that group and feel
that you belong in that group.
Georgina: And finally, to exhibit a behaviour
is to actually do that particular behaviour.
And before we all start yawning, it’s time
for us to go. Do join us again soon and you
can always find us online, on social media
and on the BBC Learning English app. Bye for
now.