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If you've ever visited a zoo, you've probably seen animals yawn. You might have thought those yawns were a result of boredom, but research has suggested that most animals do not yawn for precisely the same reasons as humans.
如果你曾參觀過動物園，那你可能看見過動物們打哈欠。你可能會想，這是因為動物們也感到無聊，但研究表明大多數動物打哈欠是出于與人類不同的原因。
Both humans and animals yawn to become more alert, but humans tend to yawn when they are bored or sleepy. And animals yawn in anticipation of a stimulating situation. When a human feels bored or sleepy, their blood flow becomes a bit sluggish and the brain gets less oxygen. As a result, they yawn in order to supply the brain with extra oxygen which helps them become more alert.
人類和動物打哈欠都能使自身變得更警惕，但是人類傾向于在無聊或者困乏的時候打哈欠。而動物打哈欠則是因為預期的刺激。當人們感到無聊或者困乏的時候，人體內的血液流動速度稍微減慢，于是造成大腦缺氧。因此人們打哈欠是為了給大腦補充氧氣，這樣人才能變得更警覺。
Most research has suggested that, contrary to common belief, we don't yawn because our brains need extra oxygen, but because we need to become more alert. Instead of yawning in order to help raise alertness levels during boring situations, animals yawn in anticipation of exciting situations. One scientist has spent hundreds of hours observing the yawning patterns of several animal species, including lions, monkeys and humans.
與普遍觀念相反的是，大多數研究表明我們并不是因為大腦缺氧才打哈欠，而是因為我們需要變得更警覺。與人類在無聊的情況下為了保持警覺性而打哈欠相反，動物會因令其興奮的事情即將發生而打哈欠。一位科學家花了幾百個小時觀察幾種動物的打哈欠模式，包括獅子、猴子和人類。
He found that human beings yawned most often in situations with minimal stimulation, but in which alertness was important, such as driving late at night; they yawned least often during physically stimulating situations such as an aerobics class.
他發現人類打哈欠多數處在刺激最小的情況下，同時也是警覺性很重要的情況下，例如在深夜駕車；當他們身理上受到刺激時打哈欠最少，例如上有氧運動課。
Captive lions and monkeys, on the other hand, yawned most often just before feeding time, one of the most stimulating times of the day. Other scientists have also observed laboratory rats yawning just prior to eating. These studies suggest that animals yawn in anticipation of stimulation rather than as a result of boredom.
另一方面，圈養的獅子和猴子在喂食時間前總是打哈欠。喂食是一天中刺激最大的時刻。其他科學家們也觀察過實驗室的老鼠，發現它們總是在吃飯之前打哈欠。這些研究表明動物打哈欠不是因為無聊，而是因為預期的刺激。
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