我们为什么打哈欠？

ABC，听好了。

ABC listen.

你好。

Hello.

我叫Nij。

My name is Nij.

今晚在《想象一下》节目中，我觉得该睡觉了。

And tonight on Imagine This, I think it's bedtime.

你一直在打哈欠。

You are yawning a lot.

这说明你累了。

It means you're tired.

我

I

打了很多哈欠，但我还没觉得准备好去睡觉。

am yawning a lot, but I don't feel quite ready to go to sleep.

我在想我为什么会打哈欠。

And I wonder why I'm yawning.

伊蒙也在好奇为什么我们会打哈欠。

Eamon has been wondering about yawns too.

你好。

Hello.

我的问题是，我们为什么会打哈欠？

My question is why do we yawn?

他并不是唯一一个这样想的人。

And he's not the only one.

我叫鲁本，我想知道哈欠是怎么产生的。

My name is Ruben, and I want to know how are yawns made.

你好。

Hello.

我叫卢卡斯，我四岁了。

My name is Lucas, and I'm four years old.

我想知道为什么人们打哈欠时会张开嘴？

And I want to know why do people open their mouth when they are doing yawning?

我知道有个人能帮我们找到答案。

I know someone who can help us find out.

她的名字是凯瑟琳·马迪森医生，她在西澳大利亚大学的睡眠科学中心工作。

Her name is doctor Kathleen Maddison, and she works at a place called the Centre for Sleep Science at the University of Western Australia.

那里 probably 有很多床和很多枕头。

It probably has lots of beds in there and lots of pillows.

听起来确实很舒适。

It does sound cozy.

我们打个招呼吧。

Let's say hello.

我以为你说该睡觉了。

I thought you said it was bedtime.

哦，我们可以再晚一点睡。

Oh, we can stay up a little longer.

你好，卡瑟琳医生。

Hi, Doctor Kathleen.

你好，尼吉。

Hi, Nij.

不过不用这么小声。

No need to be quiet, though.

现在没人睡觉。

No one's sleeping right now.

我觉得尼吉该睡觉了。

I think Nij needs a sleep.

他一直在打哈欠。

He's yawning lots.

不只是尼吉在打哈欠。

It's not just Nij.

几乎所有的动物都会打哈欠。

Almost all animals yawn.

鸟类、狗、狮子。

Birds, dogs, lions.

连我的金鱼泡泡也会打哈欠吗？

Even my pet goldfish bubbles?

是的。

Yes.

但我们为什么要打哈欠呢？

But why do we yawn?

是因为泡泡和我太累了吗？

Is it just because Bubbles and I are tired?

嗯，我们在什么情况下打哈欠，和为什么打哈欠，是两回事。

Well, there's a difference between when we yawn and why we yawn.

我什么时候会打哈欠？

When do I yawn?

我觉得我是在睡觉前打哈欠。

I think I do it before I go to sleep.

我早上醒来时会打哈欠。

I yawn in the morning when I wake up.

我无聊时会打哈欠。

I yawn when I'm bored.

当我们感到压力、害怕或紧张时，也常常会打哈欠。

We also often yawn when we're stressed or scared or nervous.

我现在就在打哈欠。

I'm yawning now.

当我们看到别人打哈欠，甚至听到或想到打哈欠时，也会打哈欠。

We can yawn when we see someone else yawn or even when we hear or think about yawning.

我们打哈欠的场合这么多，但为什么在这些时候会打哈欠呢？

That's a long list of when we yawn, but why do we yawn at those times?

打哈欠有点神秘。

Yawning is a bit mysterious.

这是一种我们称之为反射的行为，意味着我们无法控制它。

It's an action that we call a reflex, which means we can't control it.

但为了更好地理解我们为什么打哈欠，让我们发挥想象力。

But to better understand why we yawn, let's use our imaginations.

哦，我们很擅长这个。

Oh, we're good at that.

我们都坐在这张床上吧。

Let's all take a seat on this bed.

我不累。

I'm not tired.

我不想睡觉。

I don't wanna go to sleep.

我们不是要去睡觉。

We're not going to go to sleep.

我们要把这张床变成一架飞行的时间机器。

We're going to turn this bed into a flying time machine.

我需要每个人数到三。

I need everyone to count to three.

准备好了吗？

Ready?

一、二、三。

One, two, three.

出发吧。

Let's go.

哇哦！

Woo hoo.

我们在飞了。

We're flying.

我不再累了。

I'm not tired anymore.

科学家们还没有就我们打哈欠的唯一正确原因达成一致，但主要有三种理论。

Scientists haven't agreed on a single correct reason why we yawn, But there are three main theories.

我们在空中了。

We're up in the air.

这是第一个理论吗？

Is that the first theory?

我们打哈欠是为了呼吸空气？

That we yawn for air?

这曾经是一个流行的观点，但现在已经不是了。

That used to be a popular thought, but not anymore.

科学家们曾在缺氧的环境中对人进行过测试。

Scientists have done tests on people in places where there's not much oxygen.

那些人并没有打更大的哈欠或更频繁地打哈欠。

And those people didn't do bigger yawns or more yawns.

他们还检测了人们的血液，发现打哈欠并没有增加血液中的氧气含量。

They also tested people's blood, and yawning did not make more oxygen in the blood.

但在我们降落之前，你想知道人们在什么时候和哪里打哈欠最多吗？

But before we land, do you want to know when and where people yawn the most?

在床上。

In bed.

猜得不错。

Good guess.

但不对，不是在床上。

But no, not in bed.

我们最常打哈欠是在出生之前。

We yawn the most before we're even born.

在妈妈的肚子里。

Inside our mom's tummies.

没错。

Exactly.

那里没有空气，这也说明我们打哈欠不仅仅是为了获取氧气。

And there's no air in there, which also suggests we don't yawn simply for oxygen.

好吧。

Okay.

你之前说有三个主要理论解释我们为什么打哈欠。

So you said there were three main theories why we yawn.

第一个是什么？

What's number one?

让我给你展示一下。

Let me show you.

乘客们，准备着陆了。

Bed passengers, get ready for landing.

哇哦。

Whee.

那

That

这张床着陆得真够猛的。

was a hard landing for a bed.

哇塞。

Wow.

我们在哪儿？

Where are we?

我们回到了大约一万年前的石器时代。

We've traveled back about ten thousand years to the stone age.

我们为什么需要回到这么远的过去？

Why did we need to travel so far back in time?

一些科学家认为，也许我们如今并不需要频繁打哈欠，但在洞穴人时代，打哈欠可能重要得多。

Well, some scientists think that maybe we don't actually need to yawn very much these days, but yawning was probably a lot more important in cave people times.

为什么呢？

How come?

让我演示一下。

Let me demonstrate.

让我们一起打个哈欠。

Let's ossitate together.

打哈欠？

Ossitate?

这是‘打哈欠’的科学术语。

That's the scientific word for yawn.

所以让我们把嘴尽量张大

So let's stretch our mouths open wide as they can

开始吧

go.

然后

Then

深吸一口气，再呼出来

take a deep breath in and out.

哦，我的耳朵突然砰地响了一下

Oh, my ears just popped.

当我们打哈欠时，这种情况可能会发生

That can happen when we ouscitate.

打哈欠有助于打开连接喉咙和耳朵的咽鼓管

Yawning helps open our eustachian tubes that connect our throats and our ears.

所以这就是我们打哈欠的原因吗

So is that why we yawn?

为了保持这些管道畅通吗？

To keep those tubes clear?

不是真的。

Not really.

因为我们也可以通过吞咽来打开耳咽管。

Because we can also open our eustachian tubes by swallowing.

哦，

Oh,

是的。

yeah.

这也管用。

That works too.

打哈欠是我们下巴、头部、颈部和面部肌肉的大范围伸展。

A yawn is a big stretch of the muscles in our jaws, our heads, our necks, and our faces.

而这种大幅度的伸展也有助于促进我们体内各部位的活动。

And that big stretching also helps to get things moving inside our bodies.

比如什么？

Like what?

比如血液。

Like blood.

打哈欠的动作可以增加流向大脑的血液，这些血液通过一条叫做颈动脉的血管流动。

The yawning action can increase the flow of blood to our brains, and that blood travels through something called the carotid artery.

动脉是什么？

What's an artery?

我觉得那是艺术所在的地方。

I think it's somewhere where art is.

它就像是血液的通道。

It's like a tunnel for blood.

血液高速公路。

A blood highway.

对。

Yes.

在那个血液通道里有一些微小的传感器。

And there are tiny sensors in that blood tunnel.

当这些传感器被拉伸时，会帮助我们保持警觉。

When those sensors are stretched to keep us alert.

嘿，伙计。

Hey, buddy.

醒醒。

Wake up.

别现在睡。

Don't go to sleep yet.

打起精神来。

Look alive.

注意。

Attention.

注意。

Attention.

在石器时代，保持警觉尤其重要，因为

And it was extra important to be alert during the stone age because

有捕食者吗？

there were predators?

那是恐龙吗？

Was that a dinosaur?

听起来像是一只剑齿虎。

It sounded like a saber tooth tiger.

还有一只长毛象？

And a woolly mammoth?

是的。

Yeah.

但我可不想留下来弄清楚。

But I don't wanna hang around to find out.

跑。

Run.

跑！

Run.

快点。

Quick.

这边。

Over here.

有个洞穴我们可以躲进去。

There's a cave we can hide in.

好的。

Okay.

打哈欠可以帮助我们在感到疲倦时保持清醒和警觉，这在洞穴人时代对生存至关重要。

So yawning can help us keep awake and alert if we're feeling tired, which would have been important for survival back in cave people times.

是的。

Yes.

这是一种对抗疲倦、提醒身体集中注意力的方式。

It's a way of fighting off tiredness and telling our bodies to pay attention.

这也可能是为什么我们在压力大或害怕的时候会打哈欠。

And that also might be why we do it when we're stressed or scared.

它能给我们一点能量，让我们尽快到达像这样的安全洞穴。

It gives us a little boost of energy to get us to the safety of a cave like this.

这里有点黑，而且很冷。

It's a little dark and cold in here.

我们能生火吗？

Can we light a fire?

好主意。

Good idea.

我去捡些木柴。

I'll collect some sticks.

我们不能生火。

We can't light fires.

这是大人的活。

It's a grown up job.

哦，对了。

Oh, that's right.

但凯瑟琳和我已经处理好了。

But Kathleen and I have got it covered.

哦，这里暖和极了。

Oh, it's toasty warm.

很热。

It's hot.

我又打哈欠了。

I'm yawning again.

我也是。

Me too.

这次是什么原因？

What's the cause this time?

实际上可能是温度的原因。

It could actually be the temperature.

是火的热量吗？

The heat from the fire?

也许吧。

Maybe.

关于我们为什么会打哈欠，第一个理论是它能让我们保持清醒和警觉。

So the first theory about why we yawn was to keep us awake and alert.

第二个理论是我们打哈欠是为了给大脑降温。

And the second theory is that we do it to cool down our brains.

天啊。

Man.

我感觉越来越热了。

I'm I'm getting pretty hot.

我的脸都红了。

My cheeks are red.

一些科学家认为，当我们年轻时，有时会吸入凉爽的空气，这可以冷却流经面部和头部的血液。

Some scientists think that when we're young, we sometimes breathe in cool air, and that can cool the blood that runs through our face and head.

这也能防止我们的大脑过热。

And that can also stop our brains from getting too hot.

所以这就像在热天开风扇一样？

So it's like turning on a fan on hot days?

有点像。

Kind of.

但请记住，并不是所有人都同意这是打哈欠的原因。

But remember, not everyone agrees that's the reason we yawn.

这些只是一些科学家提出的理论。

These are just some theories that some scientists have come up with.

我又打哈欠了。

I'm yawning again.

我觉得你让我也打哈欠了。

I think I think you're making me yawn.

这就引出了第三个理论。

That brings us to the third theory.

打哈欠会传染？

That yawning is contagious?

意思是它很易传染。

That means it's catchy.

你打，然后我打，然后你又打。

You do it, then I do it, then you do it.

是的。

Yep.

打哈欠是人类表达共情的一种方式。

Yawning is a way that humans show empathy.

共情。

Empathy.

共情意味着理解他人及其感受。

Empathy means understanding someone else and their feelings.

它能让我们彼此产生联系。

It can make us feel connected to each other.

哦，这真好。

Oh, that's nice.

所以如果你打哈欠，然后我也打哈欠，这是我在表示我理解你吗？

So if you yawn and then I yawn, that's me showing that I understand you?

有可能。

It can be.

这有点像当有人对你微笑时，你会想回以微笑。

It's a bit like how when someone smiles at you, it can make you want to smile back.

或者当有人在哭时，会让你感到难过。

Or if someone's crying, it can make you feel sad.

但并不是每个人在任何时候都会这样，而且我们无法控制它，尽管它是一种沟通方式。

But it doesn't happen all the time for everyone, and we can't control it, even though it's a way of communicating.

但等一下。

But hang on.

你之前说，我们在出生前就打哈欠最多。

You said we yawn the most before we're even born.

如果我们还没出生，怎么可能传染呢？

It can't be catchy if we're not born yet, can it?

想得真好。

Good thinking.

我们在出生前就开始打哈欠了，但通常要到四岁左右才会变得具有传染性。

We start yawning before we're born, but it usually doesn't become contagious until we're about four years old.

那时大多数人开始更好地理解他人的感受。

That's when most people start to better understand other people's feelings.

我困了。

I'm sleepy.

我累了。

I'm tired.

我也准备睡觉了。

I'm ready for a sleep too.

该睡觉了。

It's time for bed.

这也属于关于与他人建立联系的第三种理论。

That's also part of the third theory about relating to others.

打哈欠被认为有助于让人们的身体时钟相互同步。

Yawning is thought to help keep people's body clocks in sync with each other.

他们在同一时间做同样的事情。

They do the same thing at the same time.

打哈欠可以是一种信号，表明部落该放松并一起准备休息了。

Yawning can be a signal that it's time for the tribe to wind down and get ready to altogether.

或者该醒来并一起准备应对危险了。

Or to wake up and prepare for danger together.

也许现在还不是放松的好时机。

Maybe it's not a good time to wind down just yet.

我们去看看洞穴外面发生了什么。

Let's take a peek outside the cave and see what's going on.

看。

Look.

猛犸象也在打哈欠。

The mammoth is yawning too.

也许猛犸象也在准备休息了。

Maybe the mammoth is winding down too.

是的。

Yes.

我看到它闭上眼睛了。

I see it's closing its eyes.

做个好梦。

Sweet dreams.

这可能也是我们该回床睡觉的时候了。

This might be our to head back to our bed too.

好了，各位。

Alright, everyone.

我们回睡眠机那里吧。

Let's go back to the bedtime machine.

踮着脚走。

Tiptoe.

踮着脚走。

Tiptoe.

别吵醒毛茸茸的

Don't wake up the woolly

猛犸象。

mammoths.

安静点。

Quietly.

哦，我们到了。

Oh, we made it.

我们回到飞行床了。

We're back to the flying bed.

我们倒数三声就出发。

Let's launch on the count of three.

准备好了吗？

Ready?

一、二、三。

One, two, three.

谢谢您带我们乘坐这架飞行床回到过去，凯瑟琳博士。

Thanks for taking us back in time on this flying bed, Doctor Kathleen.

不客气。

My pleasure.

很抱歉，我没能给你们一个所有科学家都认同的明确答案。

I'm sorry I couldn't give you one clear answer that all the scientists agree with.

哦，没关系。

Oh, no worries.

我喜欢这种情况发生。

I kinda like it when that happens.

不是只有一个答案，而是有多种可能性，还有更多问题可以探索。

Not one answer, but lots of possibilities and plenty more questions to ask.

我来试试。

I'm a try.

我看到了。

I see it.

啊，我们到了。

Ah, we're here.

啊，现在该睡觉了。

Ah, surely it's time for sleep now.

你来对地方了。

You're in the right place.

我去拿些枕头和毯子。

I'll grab some pillows and blankets.

所以，伊蒙、鲁本和卢卡斯，关于我们为什么打哈欠，主要有三种理论。

So, Eamon, Ruben, and Lucas, there are three main theories about why we yawn.

但还没有人达成一致，认为哪一种是唯一正确的答案。

But no one has agreed on just one right answer.

我们知道，有很多时候我们会打哈欠，而且我们知道打哈欠不仅仅是为了获取氧气。

We do know that there are lots of moments when we yawn, and we know that we don't yawn just to get oxygen.

所以关于我们为什么打哈欠的第一个理论是，它能让我们保持清醒和警觉，尤其是在我们感到疲倦的时候。

So the first theory about why we yawn is that it keeps us awake and alert, especially if we're feeling tired.

当我们还不想睡觉的时候。

When we're not ready to go to sleep.

而且我们需要集中注意力。

And we need to pay attention.

第二个理论是，我们打哈欠是为了给大脑降温。

The second theory is that we yawn to cool down our brains.

这样大脑就不会太热。

So it doesn't get too hot.

第三个理论是，我们打哈欠是为了与他人产生共鸣。

And the third theory is that we yawn to relate to other people.

你能理解他们的感受。

You understand their feelings.

你打哈欠的时候我也打哈欠。

I yawn when you yawn.

另一个

Another

与人建立联系的另一部分是保持同步。

part of relating to people is being in sync.

我们同时睡觉。

We go to sleep at the same time.

我们同时醒来。

And we wake up at the same time.

但也许打哈欠在今天没有远古时期人们住在洞穴部落里时那么重要了。

But maybe yawning isn't as important today as it was way back when most people lived in tribes in caves.

我们现在有只柠檬色的狐狸。

We have a lime fox now.

而且再也没有剑齿虎在追我们了。

And there are no saber toothed tigers chasing us.

这可能就是为什么今天的科学家们还不是很清楚我们为什么会打哈欠。

And that could be why today's scientists don't quite understand why we do it.

这是一个谜。

It's a mystery.

一个我们可以睡一觉再想的谜题。

A mystery we can sleep on.

我准备小睡一会儿了。

I'm ready for a snooze.

这个

This

这是ABC儿童收听频道的播客。

is an ABC Kids Listen podcast.

要收听更多精彩故事或学习新知识，请前往ABC收听应用的儿童专区。

For more awesome stories or to learn something new, go to the kids tab of the ABC listen

应用。

app.