Hard or Soft

HARD or SOFT-boiled?

Psychologists in America think they have discovered "fundamental" differences between people who like their eggs hard or soft-boiled.

After carrying out research (eggs periments?!) on approximately 8,000 men and women across the USA, they are claiming that "soft-boiled" fans are "more emotional and better in tune with the intuitive side of their characters. They are more strongly attracted to the arts and creative activities than the so-called 'hardos' ". They go on to say the"softies" tend to gravitate towards the "caring" professions such as nursing or social work. Quite often they place greater value on spontaneity, flexibility and fun than on hard work, profit and long-term planning.

"Hardos" , on the other hand, tend to be pragmatic, systematic and ambitious, sometimes even ruthless towards themselves and others. (Hence the term "hard-boiled"?) They are often found in professions which require highly-developed faculties of logic and forward planning. Mathematicians, successful business people and IT experts can be found in abundance among the "hardos" . According to the psychologists, these people all "like to work hard, emphasize the importance of facts over intuition and guesswork and are generally highly motivated towards success and achievement". When not at work, these people often like to relax with activities which are similar to their professional tasks.

A spokeswoman for the psychologists said that they were "seriously interested" in researching the differences between people who like their breakfast cereal crisp or soggy. She added "breakfast preferences can throw a surprising amount of light on people's characters and psychologies. She didn't comment on people who don't eat eggs at all.

What's a spoof?