Why Do We Yawn?

Have you ever yawned in the middle of an important meeting?

你有沒有在重要的會議中途打過呵欠？

Ha, it's so embarrassing, isn't it?

哈，超尷尬的，對吧？

But don't worry, everybody does it.

不過別擔心，每個人都會這樣。

Believe it or not, babies even yawn before they're born!

信不信由你，寶寶在出生前就會打呵欠了！

So why do we do it?

那我們為什麼會打呵欠呢？

For years, people believed we yawned to get more oxygen.

多年來，大家一直以為打呵欠是為了吸進更多氧氣。

It sounds logical, right?

聽起來很有道理，對吧？

But scientists actually tested this idea.

但科學家真的驗證過這個說法。

They gave people extra oxygen to breathe,

他們讓受試者多吸一些氧氣，

and guess what? They yawned just as much as before!

你猜怎麼著？他們打呵欠的次數跟之前一樣多！

So researchers have a newer idea.

所以研究人員提出了一個比較新的觀點。

A yawn might help to cool down your brain.

打呵欠可能有助於幫大腦降溫。

You open your mouth wide and take a deep breath.

你會把嘴張得大大的，深深吸一口氣。

That cool air and extra blood flow can carry heat away.

那股涼空氣和增加的血流能把熱量帶走。

That might be why we yawn more when our brain gets warm.

這也許就是大腦變熱時我們更愛打呵欠的原因。

Pretty cool, right? Literally!

很酷吧？而且是真的能「降溫」！

Now, have you noticed that yawns are contagious?

對了，你有沒有發現打呵欠會傳染？

When one person yawns, people nearby often yawn too.

一個人打呵欠，旁邊的人往往也會跟著打。

Scientists think this is connected to how we feel about each other.

科學家認為，這跟我們彼此之間的感情有關。

We catch yawns more from family and friends than from strangers!

比起陌生人，我們更容易被家人和朋友傳染呵欠！

So a yawn can be a sweet little sign of connection.

所以，打呵欠也可以是一個溫馨的小小親近訊號。

Here's the funny part: even hearing about yawns can start one.

有趣的是，光是聽人說起打呵欠，就可能讓你打一個。

Hmm, I've said the word "yawn" a lot today...

嗯，我今天說了好多次「呵欠」這個詞……

So, be honest... did you just yawn?

那麼，老實說……你剛剛是不是打呵欠了？

Ha! I knew it!

哈！我就知道！