Yawn

Embodied Simulation

In this post, my focus is not on yawning itself but on the internal simulation of others' behavior, using yawning as an example to describe how I experience this mechanism.


Embodied simulation is the internal representation and activation of bodily states associated with the sensations, emotions, and actions observed in others. 


This mechanism, whose neural correlate is the mirror neurons, enables an experience similar to what is perceived, as if the observer were themselves experiencing or performing it. (Gallese, 2007). 


Thus, instead of relying solely on abstract symbols, the brain "simulates" sensory and motor experiences within the body to understand and interact with the world.


Before moving on to my phenomenological description of this experience, try to discover for yourself how this happens.



〰



Description: In the case of yawning, when I see someone yawn (human or not), my body automatically adjusts to replicate the movement—starting with the activation of the throat muscles and altering my breathing, making its flow narrower and causing slight discomfort. 


Internal simulation, in general, operates similarly to the experience I described in this post (see here), in which I reported the sensation of "feeling someone else's pain." 


This process seems to occur predominantly through imagination—mainly kinesthetic—explored here.  


Unlike other actions, sensations, and emotions that can be simulated without the need for external expression—and without the inhibition of their manifestation causing discomfort—yawning seems to demand being expressed. 


Otherwise, I feel as if my breathing is stuck (trapped air). To relieve this sensation, I need to complete the movement in the throat region, allowing my breathing to return to its natural rhythm.  


I can even try to suppress the yawn, but the urge persists, and inevitably, at some point, I end up yawning to restore the normal breathing pattern and relax the activated muscles. 


Another strategy, if I don't want to yawn, is to try increasing the airflow through my nose by opening my nostrils and inhaling more air, but this does not have the same effect as completing the yawn.


So, the best thing to do is to let the yawn run its course. However, sometimes I also have trouble completing it, as if the movement gets stuck halfway, never reaching its peak—the release of air and tension. 


In such cases, I need to restart it and engage other muscles to finish it and restore the feeling of normality. 


I try to make movements with my mouth and increase the tension in these muscles so that the air enters deeper into my throat and then release it from there, allowing me to complete it.


Reference:

Gallese V. (2007). Embodied simulation: from mirror neuron systems to interpersonal relations. Novartis Foundation symposium, 278, 3–221.

Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E

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