Although scientists haven't determined exactly why we yawn, we do know that yawning serves several important purposes. Yawning cools the brain, prevents ears from popping and even helps us bond with those around us. If you want to make yourself yawn, just watching other people yawn can do the trick. You can also try opening your mouth wide and a few other tricks to help you yawn more easily.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Lure Your Body to Yawn
Step 1. Think about yawning
Just thinking about yawning can cause your body to want to yawn. Get yourself to yawn by imagining yourself doing it. Look at the word “yawn” and imagine what it would be like to produce a nice, deep yawn.
Step 2. Open your mouth wide
Pretend like you're about to yawn, even if you don't feel like yawning. Open your mouth as wide as you can. Just being in a position to yawn is enough to induce a real yawn
Step 3. Tighten the muscles at the back of your throat
These muscles naturally tighten slightly when you yawn. Binding them now can stimulate your body to form a true yawn. Your brain will link the contraction of these muscles to the act of yawning.
Step 4. Take a deep breath through your mouth
Just as you would with an actual yawn, breathe in through your mouth. Breathe quite deep and slow, don't breathe in fast and shallow, because a real yawn will allow you to take in a lot of air.
Step 5. Stay in the position until you feel like you're about to yawn
With the mouth and throat ready, a real yawning is possible at this point. Your body will naturally want to yawn when your mouth is open, your throat is slightly contracted and you've taken a nice deep breath. If you still can't yawn, try the next method.
Method 2 of 3: Watching Others Yawn
Step 1. Hang out around yawning family and friends
You probably already know that yawning is highly contagious. When you see someone yawn, chances are you will yawn too. This urge to yawn is more common among people who know each other, such as family members, friends, or classmates. If you really need to yawn, see someone you know yawn first.
- Some scientists theorize that yawning helps equalize action within social groups. This could be the reason why 50 percent of people yawn when they see someone else yawn, especially someone they know.
- Yawning is so contagious that even reading about yawning can trigger you to yawn.
Step 2. Ask someone you know to fake a yawn
If no one seems to be yawning, ask your friends or family to fake a yawn. Just watching the person yawn, even if they're not actually doing it, can prompt your body to respond by yawning.
Step 3. Look around to find a yawning stranger
While yawning is less contagious among strangers, it is still slightly contagious. If you're in a public place where you don't know anyone, look around to see if anyone is yawning. Hopefully you will catch it and respond by yawning.
Step 4. Watch videos of people yawning
If you don't have anyone around to look at, search YouTube for “yawn” and watch a video of someone yawning. This will have the same effect as seeing a yawning stranger in person.
Step 5. Try looking at a yawning animal
Yawning is even contagious between animals and humans. As a fun experiment, try watching your dog or cat yawn, then see if that affects you. Also look at videos of other animal species yawning. Research shows that almost all animals do.
Method 3 of 3: Creating a Good Environment for Yawning
Step 1. Go to a warm room
People yawn more often in warm places than in cold places. Scientists believe that this is because yawning can fill the body with cooler air and help to cool the brain when it is on the verge of overheating. Research shows that people yawn less frequently in winter or in cold rooms. On the other hand, if you're trying to get something done and can't stop yawning, try lowering the temperature to cool the room down a bit. Your yawning will subside fairly quickly.
Step 2. Make yourself relaxed and comfortable
We tend to yawn more in the morning because our brains are a little hotter at night. Yawning cools us when we wake up. If you want to make yourself yawn, try going back to sleep, getting under the covers and warming yourself up. You will yawn very quickly.
Step 3. Put pressure on yourself
Stress and anxiety can cause the temperature of the brain to rise, and yawning cools it back down. That's why Olympic athletes have been studied yawning right before competing. People doing skydiving and other hazard challengers also yawn right before they take the plunge. Forcing yourself to work until you are tired can also help stimulate you to yawn to cool your brain.
Tips
- In public places, cover your mouth when yawning. This is just for courtesy.
- Try to feel as if your nose is itching; then open your mouth wide. Sooner or later, you will yawn.
- Keep thinking or saying "yawn" over and over again.
