They say yawning is contagious because it causes a social group to change states together. We will sleep together and wake together and eat together and hunt together. Our adrenaline will pump together and we will all be alert together; we will be more efficient together.
Last night, when I stopped the movie to get ready for bed, an awards ceremony was on television. I do not know which ceremony it was or who that actor was or what award category he was winning or for what performance he was being recognized. I am not even sure what this two-dimensional person was talking about during his post-winning speech, but his words were full of emotion and he was on the verge of tears. As I smeared the toothpaste on my toothbrush a seemingly spurious tear rolled down my cheek, no association to reality, no mental context.
They hypothesize that yawning is contagious because we should feel together. This might explain why those unknown words and that clear emotion evoked such a dramatic response. It might also explain why I can laugh when you laugh even if I have no idea what is funny. Why I hurt when you hurt even if I know you deserved it or even if I know nothing at all.
2 comments:
you love me! thanks for blogging. it is like passing notes to people between classes in high school.
Yup, I have also shed a tear when watching an award show. I believe it was kanye West...he was thanking his mom and he looked really really touched....it was before I knew how arrogant he really was....but, it made me cry......I cry at random things all the time....except Modoc
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