--- title: Why Is Yawning Contagious? description: The phenomenon of contagious yawning doesn't mean you need more sleep. But it might signal that you're attuned to the emotions of others. canonical: https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/ author: Kate Samuelson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-06-08T15:08:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-03-31T11:00:41.634Z article:section: Health og:title: Why Is Yawning Contagious? og:description: Catching other people's yawns doesn't mean you need more sleep og:url: https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfea1f43d0cc03320/6988d0270a4a22773b9ce75f/dog-yawning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4828 og:image:height: 2716 og:image:alt: dog-yawning og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Is Yawning Contagious? twitter:description: Catching other people's yawns doesn't mean you need more sleep twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfea1f43d0cc03320/6988d0270a4a22773b9ce75f/dog-yawning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Is Yawning Contagious? > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6cc0905b-23dc-48d5-bed1-773fc71d57f9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=6cc0905b-23dc-48d5-bed1-773fc71d57f9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=6cc0905b-23dc-48d5-bed1-773fc71d57f9&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jun 8, 2017 3:08 PM UTC  Dog, Weimaraner Yawning Dog, Weimaraner Yawning Getty Images by [Kate Samuelson](https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/) ## Kate Samuelson Jun 8, 2017 3:08 PM UTC _TIME’s new health column,_ It’s Not Just You_, explores the phenomena behind some of life’s most everyday yet baffling behaviors._ If seeing someone [mid-yawn](http://time.com/3100614/pug-yawning-compilation-video/) makes you involuntarily stretch out your mouth, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re among the 60-70% of people who find that seeing a person yawn in real life or a photo—or even reading about it—compels them to do the same thing. While a whole assortment of creatures, including hippos, pigs, snakes, chimpanzees and sharks, have been known to yawn, fewer species have been proven to “catch” yawns off one another in the way that humans ([and even dogs](http://rsbl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/5/446)) are prone to do. For a long time, scientists believed that all [yawning](http://time.com/90742/yawning-study-brain-hot/) was a precursor to sleep, but recent research has suggested that the act bears no relation to dipping energy levels. Instead, catching yawns on a regular basis seems to indicate more about your personality than your sleepiness. Here are some of the leading theories to answer the age-old question: Why is yawning so contagious? ## Yawning is a sign of empathy Catching yawns may be an unconscious sign that you’re attuned to other people’s emotions, in the same way you might automatically smile or frown at someone when they do the same to you. Researchers from the University of Connecticut backed up this theory in a small [2010 study](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01495.x/abstract), where they found that most children did not begin so-called “contagious yawning” until they were around four years old—generally the age when empathy skills begin to develop. The study’s authors also found that young people with autism, who may have trouble feeling empathy, were less likely to yawn contagiously than their peers without autism; children who showed more severe autistic symptoms were much less likely to yawn contagiously than those with milder symptoms. It’s still a controversial theory, and more research is needed. But a [2015 report](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Matthew%5FStanford/publication/277815089%5FContagious%5Fyawning%5Fand%5Fpsychopathy/links/557493c708aeb6d8c0194460/Contagious-yawning-and-psychopathy.pdf) found that people with certain psychopathic traits may be less likely to catch a yawn from others. After taking a standard psychological personality test, 135 college students were shown 10-second video clips of different facial movements including yawning. The test showed that the less empathy a person had, the less likely he or she was to catch a yawn. “What we found tells us there is a neurological connection—some overlap—between psychopathy and contagious yawning,” said Brian Rundle, a psychology and neuroscience doctoral student at Baylor University and the study’s lead researcher. “This is a good starting point to ask more questions.” ## Your brain is hardwired to do it Another theory claims that contagious yawning is a primitive form of unconscious communication and bonding that helped our ancestors stay safe and avoid danger long ago, far before smoke signals and Skype. A 2010 [study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=20476812) demonstrated that the number of times small parrots yawn contagiously increases when the temperature increases. In the study, 16 birds were exposed to four 10-minute periods of changing temperatures, and their yawning was found to positively correlate with ambient temperatures during the trial. This behavior, the researchers think, might serve as a warning sign to others of potential threats. ## You’re just young Studies show that the younger you are, the more likely you are to catch yawns off your co-workers. [In one study of 328 people who were shown a three-minute video of people yawning](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0091773), 82% of people under 25 contagiously yawned, while just 60% of people ages 25 to 49 contagiously yawned. Only 41% of people over age 50 were contagious yawners. More research is needed, but the study authors speculate that people may generally become less susceptible to contagious yawning as they age, possibly because they pay less attention to the behavior in others. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/"},"headline":"Why Is Yawning Contagious?","datePublished":"2017-06-08T15:08:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T11:00:41.634Z","description":"Catching other people's yawns doesn't mean you need more sleep","url":"https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/","keywords":["Mental Health/Psychology"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfea1f43d0cc03320/6988d0270a4a22773b9ce75f/dog-yawning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kate Samuelson","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/kate-samuelson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfea1f43d0cc03320/6988d0270a4a22773b9ce75f/dog-yawning.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"dog-yawning","caption":"dog-yawning","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4801522/is-yawning-contagious/","name":"Why Is Yawning Contagious?"}}]}] ```