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Earlier quoted context omitted.
A trait doesn’t have to be advantageous to persist just non-detrimental.
It is detrimental though. It is socially impolite to yawn in public. Edit: why am I being downvoted for this?
The contagious nature of yawning is so weird. It has to be evolutionarily advantageous because it's so wide spread, but it's also non-obvious.
It's a bit like laughing. Synchronise the mood of the group. I assume other mammals have contagious yawns too?
Strangely, dogs sneeze to show deference.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is detrimental though. It is socially impolite to yawn in public. Edit: why am I being downvoted for this?
is it so detrimental that it leads to a person never finding a mate and reproducing? Maybe for a totally extreme outlier, but probably not
Our ancestors used to have tails. We no longer have tails. Plenty of people wear artificial tails today and get laid, it's not a 100% disqualifying trait
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A trait doesn’t have to be advantageous to persist just non-detrimental.
They can be detrimental too, especially if they're linked to beneficial traits. The test is ultimately whether or not the harm done is sufficiently disadvantageous that it interferes with reproductive fitness. Baldness is arguably detrimental, but it's linked to a bunch of recessive genes that function in other ways, and it doesn't impact us until we're likely to have already reproduced. That's a simplification, but…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
is it so detrimental that it leads to a person never finding a mate and reproducing? Maybe for a totally extreme outlier, but probably not
Is that the right criteria? A trait must be completely, 100% disqualifying as a mate or else it sticks around? Our ancestors used to have tails. We no longer have tails. Plenty of people wear artificial tails today and get laid, it's not a 100% disqualifying trait
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a bit like laughing. Synchronise the mood of the group. I assume other mammals have contagious yawns too?
Cats certainly do. Strangely, dogs sneeze to show deference.
Brilliant, I'll use that next time I yawn somewhere inappropriately.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
is it so detrimental that it leads to a person never finding a mate and reproducing? Maybe for a totally extreme outlier, but probably not
Is that the right criteria? A trait must be completely, 100% disqualifying as a mate or else it sticks around? Our ancestors used to have tails. We no longer have tails. Plenty of people wear artificial tails today and get laid, it's not a 100% disqualifying trait
The contagious nature of yawning is so weird. It has to be evolutionarily advantageous because it's so wide spread, but it's also non-obvious.
I literally yawned as I clicked on this article from my RSS reader. The contagious nature at the mere idea of a yawn is wild.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
A trait doesn’t have to be advantageous to persist just non-detrimental.
It is detrimental though. It is socially impolite to yawn in public. Edit: why am I being downvoted for this?