Yawning is mostly involuntary, meaning you don't have control over it. And most scientists consider it a reflex. However, you can make yourself yawn by breathing in gradually while retracting the tip of your tongue and opening your jaw repetitively. In addition, seeing other people yawning often triggers one.

The condition is known as misophonia. Misophonia is a strong negative reaction to common sounds, which are usually made by other people, and include breathing, yawning, or chewing. People with misophonia often experience a fight-or-flight response to the sounds which can trigger anger and a need to escape.

In fact psychologists have proven that the more empathetic you are, the more likely you are to yawn when someone else does. There has been fascinating research about the hierarchy of this suggestion. If you are very close to a person emotionally, you will yawn if they do.

Therefore, yawning helps us bring more oxygen into the blood and move more carbon dioxide out of the blood. Yawning, then, would be an involuntary reflex (something we can't really control) to help us control our oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.