If you want to increase focus time on sustainable development – you should yawn and stretch more often! How is that?
1)1000 academical studies
2)Yawning switches the brain from mind-wandering to thinking
3)Yawning is contageous
4)Yawning is more effective for your thinking than deep breathing
5)Neuro-tip
1)1000 academical studies
To date, there have been over a 1000 academic studies, and the emerging evidence suggests that yawning plays a key role in arousal, stress reduction, pain regulation, and possibly empathetic communication with others. The evidence indirectly suggests that deliberate conscious yawning may increase attentiveness, alleviate drowsiness and mind-wandering, and reduce the frequency and intensity of migraines and other neurological symptoms including chronic pain.
Ethologists agree that almost all vertebrates yawn. Yawning is morphologically similar in reptiles, birds, mammals and fish. Yawning occur during behaviors associated with cyclic life rhythms: sleep-arousal, feeding and reproduction. Yawning may be a thermorgulation mechanism in biological rhythms.
2)Yawning switches the brain from mind-wandering to thinking
Yawning switches from default mode network (mind-wandering) – into focused attention network (thinking and logic). This theory is explained to happen by activating the cerebrospinal fluid flow. Yawning increase circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, thereby increasing clearance of sleepy chemicals accumulating in the thinking brain. Delay onset of sleep and a mechanism to reinforce wakefulness after sleep.
Yawning appears when imagination (default mode network) is active and sleepiness increases.
It may be explained by that yawning stimulates gliacells to recycle neurotransmitters and gliacells between the brain cells. When there are exhausted brain chemicals, it is difficult to transfer thinking impulses from one cell to others.
3)Yawning is more effective for your thinking than deep breathing
You need both: Breathing sends oxygen to the brain. Yawning stimulates gliacells to recycle neurotransmitters and brain cells (neurons).
4)Yawning is contageous
A hypothese is that yawning shares the neural networks of empathy. When a meeting should solve a difficult problem – a good idea is to consciously yawn together several times. This will help clear the thinking of all in the group. Synchronise clear thinking.
5)Neuro-tip:
Your focused thinking, logic brain network gets tired and exhausted each 15-30 minute. Then make your proactive habit: Each 20 minute or so, you use 60 seconds to yawn. Do the yawn - stretch super slowly – relax – observe and be aware. Of course you automaticly breath deeply and slowly at the same time. You relax your thinking when you yawn. You relax physically when you stretch. You relax emotionally when you stroke your fingers or meditate on your deepest innermost value.
Contact helge.christie@gmail.com for a test experience
in sustainable development neuro strategy.
Sources:
How yawning switches the default-mode network to the attentional network by activating the cerebrospinal fluid flow. Walusinski O. Clin Anat. 2014 Mar;27(2):201-9.
A thermal window for yawning in humans: yawning as a brain cooling mechanism. Massen JJ, Dusch K, Eldakar OT, Gallup AC. Physiol Behav. 2014 May 10;130:145-8.
Contagious yawning, empathy, and their relation to prosocial behavior. Franzen A, Mader S, Winter F. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2018 Dec;147(12):1950-1958. doi: 10.1037/xge0000422.
Olivier Walusinski (2008), Scholarpedia, 3(6):6463. Yawn.