Why is yawning contagious? - Claudia Aguirre

Translator: Nika Kotnik Reviewer: Klavdija Cernilogar

Oh, excuse me!

O, oprostite!

Have you ever yawned because somebody else yawned?

Ste kdaj zazehali,

ker je zazehal nekdo drug?

You aren't especially tired,

Niste posebno utrujeni,

yet suddenly your mouth opens wide

a naenkrat na široko odprete usta

and a big yawn

in močno

comes out.

zazehate.

Ta fenomen je znan kot nalezljivo zehanje.

This phenomenon is known as contagious yawning.

And while scientists still don't fully understand

Čeprav znanstveniki ne razumejo popolnoma,

why it happens,

zakaj se to zgodi,

there are many hypotheses currently being researched.

trenutno raziskujejo veliko hipotez.

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

Poglejmo nekaj

prevladujočih,

beginning with two physiological hypotheses

začnimo z dvema fiziološkima hipotezama

before moving to a psychological one.

in se nato premaknimo na psihološko.

Naša prva fiziološka hipoteza

Our first physiological hypothesis

states that contagious yawning is triggered by a specific stimulus,

trdi, da nalezljivo zehanje

sproži nek določen dražljaj

an initial yawn.

v prvotnem zehanju.

This is called fixed action pattern.

Temu se reče fiksiran vzorec obnašanja.

Zamislite si fiksiran vzorec obnašanja kot refleks.

Think of fixed action pattern like a reflex.

Your yawn makes me yawn.

Zaradi tvojega zehanja zeham še jaz.

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

Podobno kot pri učinku domin

zehanje ene osebe sproži zehanje

in a person nearby that has observed the act.

pri osebi blizu, ki je dejanje opazovala.

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

Ko je enkrat ta refleks sprožen,

se mora odviti.

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

Ste poskušali ustaviti zehanje,

ko se je enkrat začelo?

Basically impossible!

Praktično nemogoče!

Another physiological hypothesis

Druga fiziološka hipoteza

is known as non-conscious mimicry,

je znana kot nezavedna mimikrija,

or the chameleon effect.

oziroma učinek kameleona.

This occurs when you imitate someone's behavior

To se zgodi, ko oponašate obnašanje nekoga

without knowing it,

ne da bi se zavedali,

a subtle and unintentional copycat maneuver.

pretanjen in nezaveden manever posnemanja.

Ljudje radi posnemamo držo drug drugega.

People tend to mimic each other's postures.

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

Če sediš nasproti nekoga,

ki ima prekrižane noge,

you might cross your own legs.

boš morda tudi sam prekrižal noge.

Ta hipoteza predlaga

This hypothesis suggests

that we yawn when we see someone else yawn

da zehamo, ko zeha nekdo drug,

because we are unconsciously copying his or her behavior.

ker podzavestno posnemamo

njegovo ali njeno obnašanje.

Znanstveniki verjamejo, da je ta učinek kameleona

Scientists believe that this chameleon effect is possible

mogoč zaradi posebnega seta nevronov,

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

znanega kot zrcalni nevroni.

Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell

Zrcalni nevroni so vrsta možganskih celic,

that responds equally when we perform an action

ki se, ko dejanje izvedemo, odzove enako

as when we see someone else perform the same action.

kot takrat, ko vidimo koga drugega

izvajati to dejanje.

These neurons are important for learning and self-awareness.

Ti nevroni so pomembni

za učenje in samozavedanje.

For example, watching someone do something physical,

Na primer, ko gledate nekoga, kako nekaj dela,

like knitting or putting on lipstick,

na primer plete

ali si nanaša šminko,

can help you do those same actions more accurately.

vam lahko pomaga izvajati ta dejanja bolj pravilno.

Neuroimaging studies using fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging,

Nevrološke študije so z uporabo fMRI,

funkcionalne magnetne resonance,

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

pokazale, da ko vidimo nekoga zehati

ali celo samo slišimo njihovo zehanje,

a specific area of the brain housing these mirror neurons

se posebno področje v možganih,

kjer so ti zrcalni nevroni,

tends to light up,

zasveti,

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

kar v nas povzroči odziv

z enakim dejanjem: zehanjem.

a yawn!

Naša psihološka hipoteza prav tako vključuje

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

delo teh zrcalnih nevronov.

We will call it the empathy yawn.

Rekli mu bomo sočutno zehanje.

Sočutje je zmožnost razumeti,

Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is feeling

kaj čuti nekdo drug,

and partake in their emotion,

in deliti njihova čustva,

a crucial ability for social animals like us.

ključna sposobnost za socialno žival, kot smo mi.

Pred kratkim so znanstveniki odkrili,

Recently, neuroscientists have found that a subset of mirror neurons

da nam pod-set zrcalnih nevronov

allows us to empathize with others' feelings

omogoča vživljanje v čustva drugih

at a deeper level.

na globlji ravni.

(Yawn)

Scientists discovered this empathetic response to yawning

Znastveniki so odkrili

ta sočutni odziv na zehanje

while testing the first hypothesis we mentioned,

med testiranjem prve hipoteze,

fixed action pattern.

vzorec fiksiranega dejanja.

Ta študija naj bi pokazala,

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

da se pri psih refleks zehanja sproži

at the mere sound of a human yawn.

že samo ob zvoku človeškega zehanja.

Njihova študija je to sicer potrdila,

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

a našli so še nekaj zanimivega.

Dogs yawned more frequently at familiar yawns,

Psi so pogosteje zehali ob znanem zehanju,

such as from their owners,

na primer ob lastnikovem,

than at unfamiliar yawns from strangers.

kot pa ob zehanju neznanca.

Following this research, other studies on humans and primates

Tej študiji so sledile

druge študije na ljudeh in primatih,

have also shown that contagious yawning

ki so pokazale, da se nalezljivo zehanje

occurs more frequently among friends than strangers.

pojavi pogosteje med prijatelji kot med neznanci.

Pravzaprav se nalezljivo zehanje začne pojavljati,

In fact, contagious yawning starts occurring

when we are about four or five years old,

ko smo stari štiri ali pet let,

at the point when children

takrat, ko otroci

develop the ability to identify others' emotions properly.

razvijejo sposobnost prepoznavanja čustev drugih.

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

Medtem ko novejše študije želijo

dokazati, da nalezljivo zehanje

is based on this capacity for empathy,

temelji na moči vživljanja v čustva drugih,

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

je potrebnih več raziskav,

da ugotovimo, kaj se pravzaprav dogaja.

Možno je, da odgovor leži

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

v povsem drugi hipotezi.

Ko naslednjič zazehate,

The next time you get caught in a yawn,

take a second to think about what just happened.

si vzemite trenutek, pomislite kaj se je zgodilo.

Were you thinking about a yawn?

Ste mislili na zehanje?

Did someone near you yawn?

Je kdo blizu vas zazehal?

Was that person a stranger or someone close?

Je bil to neznanec ali vaš bližnji?

And are you yawning right now?

Ali sedaj zehate?

(Yawn)

(Lip smacking)