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Hand Waving on Rides

Hand Waving on Rides


Every week, the Null dissects the most self-evident studies and pointless papers not to hit the headlines. It's harsh, but funny. This week, Null Editor Hayley Birch enjoys all the fun of the fair.


A £110,000 government report on the behaviour of people on amusement rides has come to a startling conclusion: they like to wave their hands.

The 140-page long document, published by the Health and Safety Executive, reports the most common behaviours of thrill-seekers as “one and two handed waving, turning head/trunk and pointing”.

The eagle-eyed researchers also note a tendency for young children to fidget in their seats as they turn to look at their surroundings, which they put down to curiosity. Similarly underwhelming is the suggestion that having a couple of beers can lead to feelings of dizziness and disorientation following rides that spin vigorously.

And from the bleedin’ obvious to the bleedin’ pointless: the study also points out that a small minority of fairground goers display what it calls “exceptional behaviours” – lying back on carousel horses and stretching limbs out of pirate ships.


Studies of the Bleedin' Obvious is reproduced from the Null's column in the Daily Telegraph.

More studies of the bleedin' obvious. Or how about something a little bit different from the Null:


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Title Image: Peter Hamza




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07 Jul 2011
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