You do it, I do it, babies do it, and even your neighbour’s dog does it. We all yawn. But why do we do it? Nobody knows for sure.

We usually link yawning with sleep. However, a yawn may not necessarily mean you’re tired or bored. Just reading the word ‘yawn’ might be making you yawn now!

It was once believed that we yawn when our body is low on oxygen. Just as, a car runs on petrol, our body runs on oxygen.

You get oxygen simply by breathing in air. But when you need a quick shot of oxygen, a yawn comes in handy. You open your mouth wide and suck in a large quantity of air. This theory, however, was never proved true. And so the mystery of the mighty yawn continues…

But one thing is for sure. Yawning is extremely contagious. If I yawn in front of you, there’s a good chance you will repeat after me. So, try this next time you’re with friends. Open your mouth wide and really yawn. (Do remember to cover your mouth when you do it.) Now see how many of your friends can resist yawning themselves.

Another thing, how many times have you yawned while reading this article? Ha!