Who knew?
Ever wondered how much the way you yawn says about your personality? Turns out, quote a lot. We previously reported that being friends with your ex could mean that you're a psychopath, and now science is telling us that the way people yawn can apparently tell you if they're a psychopath, too.
Surprisingly, it's got nothing at all to do with the length of the yawn, or any weird noises you might make mid-yawn. No, in fact it's all to do with how contagious you find other people's yawns. Confused? Let us explain.
According to new research published in the Personality and Individual Differences journal, the way that a person yawns can tell you if they're a sadistic, narcissistic person 'whose main intention is to manipulate others and [gets] satisfaction from doing that' - aka, a psychopath.
So, if you just can't help but be bitten by the yawning bug when someone else yawns next to you, it means that you've got a healthy ability to empathise with others.
However, if you don't automatically yawn when you see another person do so, it means you're likely to be a pretty selfish individual when it comes to relationships. You also may be very cruel and unkind to the people who you work with - especially if they're your subordinate.
If you're not sure about the impact other people's yawning has on you, this pretty handy YouTube video will tell you which category you fall in to by taking the 'yawning test'.
Basically, if there's someone you're getting weird vibes from at work, watch them like a hawk the next time someone else in the room yawns. That could tell you everything you need to know about their personality (and whether to avoid them like the plague).
Ah, science, you never disappoint.