Boris Watch: Mind The Yawning Gap

BORIS Johnson is used to illustrate the Guardian’s article that yawning is contagious.

Researchers at the University of Leeds found that people most affected by “contagious yawning” are more empathetic and “have a more developed sense of social awareness”.

This should not be confused with their being suggestible and unable to think for themselves, no more human and free willed than one of Pavlov’s dogs.

Researchers noted that when a plant yawned 10 times, engineering students in the vicinity yawned, on average, 1.5 times while psychology students yawned 5.5 times.

Interestingly, the Times uses its picture of Boris in full gape to enliven the story that “Tories say supermarkets should charge for parking”.

The Conservatives presumably mean those out-of-town supermarkets surrounded by farmland and immersed in a disused cement quarry.

That for later. For now, Boris Johnson is on a Routemaster bus. Johnson says he will consider, if elected as London mayor, reintroducing the London buzzzz…

Sorry.

It’s just that it’s late in the afternoon and you wait all day for a yawning Boris and then two come along at once…

Anorak

Posted: 11th, September 2007 | In: Boris Watch, Politicians Comments (6) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink