I also have yawned a ton while reading this thread...
I once read a study that was based on finding out how the "contagious" yawn was "transmitted"...
Basically, the study involved two people in different rooms. They were sound proof, but had a microphone so that one could hear the other person if they were turned on.
They had one person read about yawning on a computer screen while facing a window in between the two rooms, with the other person both watching and listening. An extraordinarily high percentage of the time the other person would yawn as well. They did the same experiment with the microphone off, so the person could see it but not hear it, and it was the same result. They than covered the window, and experience the same result with the subject just hearing the yawn.
Interestingly enough, although I suppose it could be coincidence, when the shut the microphone off as well as covered the window, they continue to yawn at nearly the same time with a complete lack of visual/audio cues. It happened the same as before, with the person reading beginning to yawn and the test subject following suit. However, the percentage of the time that they did it dropped considerably, but was still relatively high considering that they couldn't have any way to see/hear the other person...
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