Abstract

Yawning has fascinated scientists for centuries. Hippocrates included it I his list of “useful natures” and Hindus used to regard yawning as a religious “offence”. Some ancient superstitions saw yawning as the escaping of the soul. However, scientists today are still amazed with the extent to yawning tells us about many other neurological conditions (e.g. Thompson, 2010). The importance of yawning in helping us understand other neurological mechanisms has led to La Société Française de Neurologie et La Société des Neurosciences convening the first international conference on yawning at l’Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France in June 2010 to which the author was invited as one of the Invited Speakers.