In our Time of Zoom and All Things Virtual, meetings can appear to be boring even when they are not. So picture this. You’re leading an important meeting when someone yawns. How do you react?

Do you get angry because you assume the person is bored and/or rude? Or do you continue, knowing that the yawner has paid you a compliment?

Excuse me? Yawning is a compliment?

Yes, it can be. After conducting experiments, researchers at the University of Albany in New York concluded that yawning helps the brain to stay alert.

The common belief is that we yawn because we crave sleep. Instead, we yawn when our brain needs cool blood for optimal mental functioning. (Congratulations. You have the yawner’s brain working madly.)

What if others join in the yawning? Well, team yawning may be a mechanism to help a group stay alert in the face of danger.

So, if your team yawns, take it as a compliment. They understand the need to stay alert in the presence of the Alpha Dog or B… top female dog.

Welcome to my side of the nonsense divide.