Chewing on gum alters the expression of contagious yawning

Abstract

The motor action pattern of yawning enhances neurovascular circulation, which appears to function in cooling the brain and promoting adaptive behavioral outcomes linked with arousal and state change. Here, the authors tested whether chewing on gum, which induces similar mandibular contractions and temporarily increases alertness, alters the expression of yawning. Participants were assigned to either a control, mint, or gum condition and instructed to watch a contagious yawning stimulus in the laboratory. Yawning behavior was scored from video recordings. Findings showed that both sucking on a mint and chewing a piece of gum significantly inhibited contagion in these trials, as both manipulations diminished the overall rate and frequency of yawning in the sample. However, unlike sucking on a mint, chewing gum distinctly reduced and restricted the magnitude of the peak muscular contraction (i.e., the duration) of yawns and this measure correlated negatively with the frequency of chewing during testing. Overall, these findings add to our understanding of the physiology of yawning and provide directions for future research examining connections between yawning and cognitive performance.

People that score high on psychopathic traits are less likely to yawn contagiously

“…Since the action patterns of both yawn types appear indistinguishable, the neurological mechanisms governing yawn contagion are likely mediated by the same physiological variables affecting patterns of spontaneous yawning. In support of this view, and consistent with the hypothesis that the motor action pattern of yawning evolved to increase arousal and state change 1 , 84 via intracranial circulation and brain cooling 85 , 86 , socially-elicited forms of contagious yawning can be modulated by different methods of breathing 48 , time of day 74 , cooling/heating to the surface of forehead and neck 48 , 78 , chewing on gum 76 , ambient temperature variation and seasonal climactic conditions 15 , 73 , 77 , and acute physical stress 75 . Collectively these studies support the view that spontaneous and contagious forms of yawning share fundamental mechanistic pathways 87 .…”

Chewing on gum alleviates chronic bouts of excessive yawning: two case studies

“…An extension of this work also showed that cooling of the carotid blood supply, which is sufficient to decrease temperature at the superiomedial orbital area (i.e., the brain temperature tunnel; Abreu, Haddidan, Hott, Assis, & Silverman, 2010), significantly diminishes both the urge to yawn and overall contagious yawning frequency (Ramirez, Ryan, Eldakar, & Gallup, 2019). Moreover, Gallup & Engert (2019) recently demonstrated that chewing on gum significantly decreases the rate, frequency, and duration of contagious yawning among college students. Given that the mandibular contractions of gum chewing increase cerebral blood flow (Hasegawa, Ono, Hori, & Nokubi, 2007), these results further support the hypothesized brain cooling and neurovascular circulatory functions of spontaneous yawning.…”

“…These findings provide converging evidence that gum chewing inhibits the expression of yawning. Recently, Gallup & Engert (2019) found that chewing on gum Human Ethology, 35, 67-74 reduced the rate, frequency, and duration of contagious yawning among college students in the laboratory. Similar to the extended gaping of the jaw during yawning, the mandibular contractions of chewing on gum are known to increase cerebral blood flow (Hasegawa et al, 2007), and therefore this behavior may act to stifle the mechanism(s) driving the abnormal yawning.…”

The evidence does not support long-term oxygenation as a functional explanation for the evolution of yawning

“…Table 1 Other documented effects that cannot be explained by the airway hypothesis (1) The influence of nasal vs. oral breathing and carotid artery and forehead temperature on yawn frequency [23,24] (2) The link between yawn duration and brain size after accounting for body size [5] (3) How chewing on gum decreases, rather than increases, yawning [25,26] (4) The connection between abnormal yawning and thermoregulatory dysfunction in the absence of breathing problem [27] (5) Why there is a reduction in yawning frequency with senescence [28], as airway mechanics and lung function decline with age [29] (6) The fact that fish, which have a completely different oxygenation system, also yawn [30]…”