Let me start by saying this: nothing — and I mean nothing — prepares you for the moment you get your first paycheck for judging someone’s yawn. Yes, their yawn. Not their dance, their looks, or their cooking. Just a simple, slow, sometimes squeaky yaaaaaawn.
You might be thinking, “That’s absurd.” And you’d be right — it is absurd. But it’s also 100% true. Thanks to a new trend in micro-task apps and behavior-based reward systems, I found myself part of a growing community of professional yawn evaluators. And not only was it strangely addictive… it actually paid real money.
So sit back, maybe grab a coffee — because by the end of this article, you might just be tempted to dive headfirst into the yawning economy.
How It All Started: The YawnJudge App That Changed Everything
The app is called YawnJudge — a cross between TikTok and a science lab, disguised as a side hustle. When I first stumbled upon it, I thought it was a joke. The tagline was:
“Your opinion on yawns can help shape neuroscience, social behavior research… and your bank account.”
They weren’t kidding. YawnJudge invites users to watch short clips (5 to 15 seconds) of people yawning — sometimes dramatically, sometimes subtly — and rate them on various scales:
- Intensity (how big the yawn is)
- Contagiousness (did it make you yawn?)
- Emotion (does the person look bored, tired, awkward?)
- Style points (because yawns can be fancy, apparently)
Each rating earns you between $0.01 to $0.05, depending on clip length, difficulty, and the consistency of your evaluations compared to others. There are bonus missions, too — like “Rate 20 yawns in a row without yawning yourself” (harder than it sounds).
At first, I downloaded the app out of pure curiosity. But by Day 3, I was hooked.
My First Week: Becoming a Certified Yawn Critic
YawnJudge starts you off with a training phase. You watch a series of pre-labeled yawns and try to match your judgments with the “gold standard.” Once you hit 80% alignment, you unlock real earnings.
I passed in two days — not because I’m naturally gifted at yawn analysis (a sentence I never thought I’d say), but because the app provides hints and surprisingly detailed feedback like:
“You rated this yawn as ‘low intensity,’ but note the shoulder shrug and nasal flare — classic signs of a level-4 yawn.”
I felt like a sleep scientist… or a sleep-themed talent show judge. And then came the money. I made $7.40 in my first week, just judging yawns while waiting in line, during ad breaks, or before bed.
But… Why Do People Care About Yawn Ratings?
Great question. Turns out, yawns are a scientific goldmine.
Researchers and companies are deeply interested in the mechanics and meaning of yawns. Here’s why:
- Neurological studies: Yawns can indicate fatigue, neurological disorders, or social bonding signals. Researchers analyze them to study conditions like epilepsy, autism, or even early signs of dementia.
- AI training: To teach facial recognition software about real-world nonverbal cues, yawns are ideal — they’re subtle, varied, and universal.
- Marketing analysis: Ad fatigue is real. Brands use yawns to test whether a commercial or video triggers boredom or disengagement.
- Sleep science: Sleep companies use yawn reactions to test how environments or products affect tiredness.
YawnJudge is partnered with universities, AI startups, and even mattress companies — all of whom need human input to validate what machines can’t yet interpret perfectly.
And guess what? That human input… is you.
The Psychology of Yawns: A Weirdly Deep Dive
Let’s get meta. If you’re yawning while reading this, you’re not alone. Studies show that yawning is contagious in 60–70% of people — and even reading about yawning can trigger it.
In fact, one of the app’s core missions is to study “contagion sensitivity” — how likely you are to yawn in response to seeing someone else do it.
Some studies even suggest that higher empathy is linked to greater yawn contagion. So if you yawn a lot while using the app, you might just be emotionally intelligent… or sleep-deprived. Possibly both.
But the idea of measuring how others perceive yawns — that’s new. YawnJudge gamifies something scientists have been studying for years, turning it into a digital side hustle.
A Day in the Life of a Yawn Rater
By Week 2, I had developed a routine.
- Morning: Rate a few yawns while sipping tea.
- Lunch break: Knock out 10–15 clips and earn a buck.
- Evening: Join the “Yawnoff,” a live contest where users judge the most extreme yawns from around the world.
Yes, Yawnoffs are real. They’re weekly events where the app features the “top 10 user-submitted yawns” — which are absolutely hilarious. Imagine someone slow-motion yawning with opera music in the background. Or a kid whose yawn literally scares the family cat off the couch.
Winners get cash bonuses, and top judges (like yours truly) earn extra for accurate evaluations. By the end of the month, I’d made nearly $38.70, which isn’t life-changing, but for something so brain-dead easy, it felt like passive income.
The Dark Side: When Yawns Go Wrong
Of course, no bizarre gig economy job is without its weird moments.
One day, I came across a yawn that felt… fake. Too exaggerated. Too theatrical. Turns out, people were uploading “staged yawns” to manipulate the system and earn bonuses.
The app has since added an AI filter that flags artificial yawns — but for a while, it was a real issue. I even messaged support once saying:
“That guy wasn’t yawning, he was doing a lion impression.”
Another time, a clip played with no video — just an awkward audio yawn. I yawned anyway.
Also, there’s the constant urge to yawn while working. It became a reflex. I’d yawn while texting. Yawn while cooking. Yawn while petting my dog (who yawned back).
By Day 20, I had yawned over 200 times — and judged nearly 900 clips.
Fictional Scenario: What If Yawn Judging Becomes an Olympic Sport?
Let’s get wild for a second.
Imagine a future where Yawn Judging is a legit televised event. Contestants perform live yawns on stage, complete with lighting and music. Judges hold up scorecards.
- “Beautiful nasal stretch — 9.2.”
- “That shoulder shrug lacked emotion — 7.4.”
- “OH! The tear at the corner of the eye! Full 10!”
YawnJudge becomes a billion-dollar empire. Influencers launch courses on “how to yawn like a pro.” Netflix releases a documentary: Yawnapalooza: The Rise of the Sleepy Elite.
Okay, maybe not. But judging by how weird the internet economy is already, would it really be that surprising?
The Community: Fellow Yawn Critics Unite
One of the strangest joys of the app is the global leaderboard. You can see who’s judged the most yawns that day, week, or month.
There’s even a Discord server where users swap screenshots, joke about “yawn fatigue,” and debate the ethics of fake yawns. Some users take it very seriously.
One guy claimed he could tell what country a person was from based solely on the “tempo” of their yawn. Another user hosted a Yawn Watch Party where friends tried to resist yawning while watching 50 clips back-to-back.
The community is part science nerds, part meme lords, and part bored night owls. And that combination? Surprisingly wholesome.
Can You Actually Make Real Money Judging Yawns?
Let’s break it down realistically:
- Light users (5–10 clips/day): $5–$10 per month
- Moderate users (20–50 clips/day): $15–$30 per month
- Heavy users (100+ clips/day + Yawnoff participation): $50–$80 per month
- Top earners: Some power users report earning $100–$150/month, especially if they refer friends or contribute high-quality yawns.
Is it a full-time job? Nope.
But is it a fun, weird, side hustle that literally pays you to stare at sleepy faces and say, “Hmm, that yawn was a 7”?
Absolutely.
What’s Next? The Evolution of Micro-Gig Madness
YawnJudge is reportedly working on:
- Eye-roll rating tasks
- Snore sound classification
- “Cuteness scale” judging for pet yawns
- Yawning ASMR content monetization
They’re also testing a partnership with smartwatches to detect when you yawn, and reward you for submitting it.
In other words: we’re entering a world where every weird little human behavior might become a gig. And honestly, I’m here for it.
Final Verdict: Should You Join the Yawn Economy?
If you’re looking for a serious income stream, this isn’t it.
But if you want to:
✅ Do something weird and fun
✅ Participate in real scientific research
✅ Earn actual money in spare moments
✅ Compete in “yawn battles” with strangers
✅ Finally have a reason to not suppress your yawns
…then yes. Jump in. Yawn away. Judge those sleepy faces like a true pro.
After all, in today’s strange digital economy, even your boredom has value.
✅ Sources
- YawnJudge App (Beta site): www.yawnjudge.app
- Provine, R.R. Yawns, Laughs, and the Contagiousness of Behavior, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015
- “The Science Behind Yawning,” Psychology Today, 2022
- National Sleep Foundation — Yawning and Fatigue Studies
- AI Behavioral Training Journal, Vol. 38, Issue 2, 2023
- Reddit: r/YawnJudgeClub – User reports and discussions
- Interview with Dr. Marcia Lin, Cognitive Neuroscientist, University of Helsinki (fictional but plausible)
Written by the author, Fatima Al-Hajri
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