When we think about someone yawning, most of us probably think that person is bored or just very tired. Perhaps we even think they are being very rude, if for example, they start yawning whilst we are speaking to them!

It may then seem odd and surprise you, when I tell you that yawning is actually extremely beneficial to the brain and we should be yawning much more!

So ditch that coffee and tea, that you might be using to keep you awake and listen up!

In the book “How God Changes Your Brain” Neuroscientist Dr Newberg and expert Mark Waldman, say that “Yawning is one of the best kept secrets of neuroscience. ”

They go into detail about how yawning evokes “neural activity in the brain.”

The area of the brain involved in yawning is called the Precuneus, one of the key centres of consciousness, it’s based on the back of the brain by the Parietal Lobe.

When you yawn this gets activated. Yawning therefore increases consciousness. The Precuneus also plays a central role in memory retrieval and self reflection.*

Yawning increases consciousness, improves memory recall and reduces the stress neurochemicals released in the body.

Book- How God Changes Your Brain

Ralphi, (below) has the right idea!

Yawning = Neurotransmitters

Yawning also releases various neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, GABA, the happy hormone known as serotonin, which all help in relaxation and pleasure enhancing feelings in the body.  

The book details around 12 essential reasons to yawn, below are just a few examples.

Yawning stimulates alertness and concentration, optimizes brain activity, lowers stress, relaxes your body and increases memory recall.

When students yawn in class it removes the sleepiness in the brain, helping them to stay focused. So teachers don’t despair, you may not actually be boring your students, but if you are, the yawning will keep students focused too!*

YAWNING = ALERTNESS

Dr Newberg and Mark Waldman say that yawning will bring you into a state of alertness, faster than any other meditation techniques they know. This is why you may spot athletes yawning before they compete!

The authors also suggest that if we yawn before we meditate or pray, it would intensify our spiritual experience. (See my post on “OM for Enlightenment”, for more on meditation.)

The book sites several brain scans that have shown that yawning could also help enhance social awareness, compassion and effective communication with others.

The author’s advice is simple, yawn as many times a day as possible, when you wake up, if you are at work dealing with a tricky situation, when you feel stressed, angry or anxious. It doesn’t even matter if they are fake, just take a deep breath and yawn!

So don’t worry about what people think, go ahead give yourself a treat and yawn away! Feel the relaxation ooze around your entire body and your consciousness awaking!

Whilst you are yawning, perhaps have a stretch too, just like our yawning pro Ralphi below!

Go on you know you want to! Ps Yawning is contagious among humans, so when you start yawning, don’t be surprised if everyone around you does too!*

–A special thanks to Ralphi, an amazing cat!

*Footnotes – How God Changes Your Brain, Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman

Yawning is also contagious among chimpanzees, great apes and macaque monkeys.