Why is yawning contagious? - Claudia Aguirre

Translator: Hekim Atay Reviewer: Mehmet Sıddık Dilek

Oh, excuse me!

Biborin!

Gava yekî bawişk anî

Have you ever yawned because somebody else yawned?

hûn jî bawişk diênin?

You aren't especially tired,

Hûn ne westiyayî bin jî

yet suddenly your mouth opens wide

devê we vedibe

and a big yawn

û bawişkeke mezin

comes out.

çê dibe.

Ji vê re ''bawişkîna vegir'' dibêjin.

This phenomenon is known as contagious yawning.

And while scientists still don't fully understand

Zanist sedema vê

why it happens,

baş nizanibin jî,

there are many hypotheses currently being researched.

li ser vê gelek teorî hene.

Let's take a look at a few of the most prevalent ones,

Em çend teorîya binêrin.

beginning with two physiological hypotheses

Yekem teorîyên fîzyolojîk

before moving to a psychological one.

dû re jî ya psîkolojîk binêrin.

Ya fîzyolojîk dibêje ku,

Our first physiological hypothesis

states that contagious yawning is triggered by a specific stimulus,

bawişkîna vegir

piştê bawişkekê

an initial yawn.

belav dibe.

This is called fixed action pattern.

Vê re "Fixed action pattern" dibêjin.

"Fixed action pattern" wek refleksekî ye.

Think of fixed action pattern like a reflex.

Your yawn makes me yawn.

Bawişkîna we dibe sedema bawişkîna min.

Similar to a domino effect, one person's yawn triggers a yawn

Wek domîno ye.

Bawişkîna yekê

in a person nearby that has observed the act.

dibe sedema bawişkîneke din.

Once this reflex is triggered, it must run its course.

Gava ev refleks bû,

ji ber xwe didome.

Have you ever tried to stop a yawn once it has begun?

Gava hûn bawişkîn

qet xwe girtiye?

Basically impossible!

Ev ne mimkûn e!

Teorîya fîzyolojîk ya din,

Another physiological hypothesis

wek "teqlîda bêhiş" an jî "bandora margîsê"

is known as non-conscious mimicry,

or the chameleon effect.

tê zanîn.

Gava em yekî teqlîd bikin

This occurs when you imitate someone's behavior

without knowing it,

ev tişt dertê holê:

a subtle and unintentional copycat maneuver.

manewraya ser girtî û teqlîdkerê bêhemd.

Mirov helwestên hev teqlîd dikin.

People tend to mimic each other's postures.

If you are seated across from someone that has their legs crossed,

Ku hûn cem yekî

lingê xwe li ser hev re avêtî bin,

you might cross your own legs.

hûn ê jî wisa bikin.

This hypothesis suggests

that we yawn when we see someone else yawn

Ji ber ku em

because we are unconsciously copying his or her behavior.

hertim teqlîd dikin,

bawişk jî tê teqlîd kirin.

Gorî zanista

Scientists believe that this chameleon effect is possible

"bandora mergîsê"

because of a special set of neurons known as mirror neurons.

bi hin noronên neynik mimkûn e.

Noronên neynik hûcreyên mêjî ne.

Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell

that responds equally when we perform an action

Tevgerê, heke em bikin

as when we see someone else perform the same action.

an yekê din bike

ev hûcre wek hev dixebitin.

These neurons are important for learning and self-awareness.

Ev noron ji bo hînbûnê jî

girîng in.

For example, watching someone do something physical,

Mînak, ku hûn yekî

like knitting or putting on lipstick,

rûj dike

temaşe bikin,

can help you do those same actions more accurately.

hûne jî baştir rûj bikin.

Neuroimaging studies using fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging,

Gorî xebatên bi fMRG'ê,

gava em bawişkînekî dibînin

show us that when we seem someone yawn or even hear their yawn,

û dengê bawişkê tê me,

a specific area of the brain housing these mirror neurons

noronên mêjî

hişyar dibin

tends to light up,

encama vê de

which, in turn, causes us to respond with the same action:

em jî bawişk tînin.

a yawn!

Teorîya psîkolojîk jî

Our psychological hypothesis also involves the work of these mirror neurons.

li ser şixûlîna noronên neynik e.

We will call it the empathy yawn.

Em vê teorîyê re bawişkîna empatîk dibêjin.

Empatî,

Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling

fem kirin û parvekirina hîs û hestan e

and partake in their emotion,

a crucial ability for social animals like us.

ji bo mirovan gelek girîng e.

Zanistên norolog

Recently, neuroscientists have found that a subset of mirror neurons

dîtin ku empatîyên mezin

allows us to empathize with others' feelings

bi van noronan pêk tê.

at a deeper level.

(Yawn)

Zanist

Scientists discovered this empathetic response to yawning

dema teorîya yekem diceribandin,

while testing the first hypothesis we mentioned,

ev tepkîya empatîk

fixed action pattern.

dîtin.

Ev xebat ji bo

This study was set up to show that dogs would enact a yawn reflex

çêbûna refleksa bawîşkînê

at the mere sound of a human yawn.

hate kirin.

Xebatên wan ew piştgirî kirin,

While their study showed this to be true, they found something else interesting.

Lê zanista tiştekî balkêş dîtin.

Dogs yawned more frequently at familiar yawns,

Seg, li gorî yên xerîban

such as from their owners,

dema dengê bawişka xwediye xwe dibihîstin,

than at unfamiliar yawns from strangers.

bawişk dianîn.

Following this research, other studies on humans and primates

Dû vê xebatê,

hate dîtin ku

have also shown that contagious yawning

bawişkîna vegir

occurs more frequently among friends than strangers.

navbera heval û nasan de zêdetir e.

Bawişkîna vegir ,

In fact, contagious yawning starts occurring

dema zarokên 4-5 salî

when we are about four or five years old,

hestên mirovan hîn dibin

at the point when children

develop the ability to identify others' emotions properly.

dertê holê.

Still, while newer scientific studies aim to prove that contagious yawning

li ser têkilîya

bawişkîn û empatîyê

is based on this capacity for empathy,

lêkolînên nû bûn,

lê ji bo zelalkirinê

more research is needed to shed light on what exactly is going on.

zêdetir lêkolîn pêwist in.

Belkî ku bersiv

It's possible that the answer lies in another hypothesis altogether.

di teorîyeke din de bin.

Êdî dema hûn bawişkîn

The next time you get caught in a yawn,

take a second to think about what just happened.

kêliyekê rawestin û bifikirin, ka çi bû?

Were you thinking about a yawn?

Hûn çi difikirîn?

Nêzî we yek bawişkî?

Did someone near you yawn?

Was that person a stranger or someone close?

Ev xerîb bû an nas bû?

Niha hûn dibawişkîn?

And are you yawning right now?

(Yawn)

(Lip smacking)