Thought bubbles

Why do chewing gum and doodling help us concentrate?

- BY MARC WILSON

Anybody remember the 1988 movie They Live? It's a cult film, with an 87% approval on ratings site Rotten Tomatoes. Long before Dwayne Johnson and John Cena stepped out of the pretend wrestling ring into movie theatres, Rowdy Roddy Piper was the protagonist in They Live. He's not a great actor but he ad libs a line that has since become a catchphrase: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all outta bubblegum."

I could have sworn that Clint Eastwood banned chewing gum when he was mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, but my research suggests it's a false memory. At the same time, if he had banned gum he would have been in good company; chewing gum is banned for import and sale in Singapore.