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[Frumple]

Not just human, and more like popping open the case or somethin', but yeah, more or less.

[Mephansteras]

Thermoregulation would make sense to me. I certainly yawn more when I'm overly warm.

[McTraveller]

I haven't read any such studies, but that doesn't seem like it matches with observation.  Why would yawning also seem to be associated with waking and sleeping?  I can definitely see temperature drop being a result of a yawn, especially given the exposure of those blood vessels in the roof of the mouth (brain freeze!).  But I am skeptical that temperature is a causal factor.

It also doesn't explain anything about why yawning would be contagious; thermoregulation does not seem like something you would need to do based on cues from other nearby members of your tribe.

[LordBaal]

Darn you made me yawn again!

[Vector]

Why would yawning also seem to be associated with waking and sleeping?

hopefully warm when sleep?

[Frumple]

Paraphrasing the article I read: You cool off when you sleep and sleep better when you're cool; yawning is more prepping you to fall asleep than keeping you awake, then. When you're waking up, your brain is going from a cooler to warmer state quite rapidly, triggering a regulatory mechanism.

You also think better when your brain is cooler, so it's working to make your brain function better when you're trying to stay awake or think better.

It's particularly associated with waking and sleeping 'cause that's two times during your day where brain is consistently very likely to be temperature shifting in a fairly constrained period, triggering your thermoregulatory shtick.

e: Though the speculation for the contagious aspect being beneficial is the possibility of it helping make folks in a group more alert/think better; more than that, people near each other are probably dealing with similar environmental concerns, so taking cues from the folks around you you need to cool it can up survivability a bit.

That said, they're much less sure about exactly what's going on with the infection part. They've just very much identified the primary function involved.

[MrRoboto75]

You sleep better when you're cool

This is why I wear sunglasses to bed 

[methylatedspirit]

I didn't even know that the brain is cooled by yawning, or that it would serve some kind of purpose there. You'd think with a 25W component, the fact that it's immersed in fluid and basically watercooled by blood would be enough to cool it. Huh.

[Vector]

I didn't even know that the brain is cooled by yawning, or that it would serve some kind of purpose there. You'd think with a 25W component, the fact that it's immersed in fluid and basically watercooled by blood would be enough to cool it. Huh.

bring us catto photto

[Egan_BW]

I didn't even know that the brain is cooled by yawning, or that it would serve some kind of purpose there. You'd think with a 25W component, the fact that it's immersed in fluid and basically watercooled by blood would be enough to cool it. Huh.

Well, the blood itself is body-temperature, so it doesn't seem that odd that running cool air under the roof of your mouth would provide some marginal benefit. I feel like the brain itself probably likes to sit at a lower temp than your guts and stuff.

[methylatedspirit]

You also think better when your brain is cooler, so it's working to make your brain function better when you're trying to stay awake or think better.

I wonder if that means if students tend to do better when learning and taking tests in air-conditioned rooms than fan-cooled rooms, just by virtue of lower temperatures. Now, how'd one test that hypothesis, I don't know.

Here:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I don't think it was exactly advisable to just move one of the kittens out of the box while Catto's nursing, but she seemed perfectly fine with it.


Also, on a note that may sadden some of you: no, I can't bring Catto back home. My sister's not willing, and sure as hell my parents won't be. They say it's normal for students to leave their pets from their campus for semester break, then come back the next semester like nothing's happened. I don't have access to any shops that would sell pet carriers (thanks, reinstated lockdown), so I'm basically boned.

[anewaname]

I am having problems describing the sensation of having yawned 40 times in a short period of time. I sort of feel poisoned and headachey in some minor-bad way.

[Vector]

oooh, yes, they are cute!!!

I watched a youtube video on kitten development around when this started and they said you can handle them safely Also at 4 weeks they will have teeth and can start eating meat, and will be able to retract their claws, so more likely than not I think they will be ok even if you aren't around. Mom can probably help them get food!

[King Zultan]

I don't have access to any shops that would sell pet carriers

A cardboard box can act as one for a bit.

[martinuzz]

Also, on a note that may sadden some of you: no, I can't bring Catto back home. My sister's not willing, and sure as hell my parents won't be. They say it's normal for students to leave their pets from their campus for semester break, then come back the next semester like nothing's happened. I don't have access to any shops that would sell pet carriers (thanks, reinstated lockdown), so I'm basically boned.

That's sad.  It is not normal to leave your pets over semester break. At least not without getting someone to give them food twice a day while you're away.
If you'd do that over here in the Netherlands, people would call the police. Animal neglect is a criminal offense over here.
Since about 8 years, the law has even been changed for that. It used to be misdemeanor (you'd get fined, but no criminal record), now it's criminal offense punishable with up to a maximum of 2 years in prison for excessively terrible neglect.