Blanchflower's attempt to lower the cost of borrowing, which will be applauded by mortgage payers, was revealed in the minutes of the meeting published this week.

Blanchflower has caused controversy because he is based in the US and has to commute to the MPC's monthly votes. But while he exhibits such dove-ish tendencies homebuyers and other borrowers will wish his well.

It was while researching Blanchflower on his website that I came across his 2004 paper with its eyebrow-raising title.

Its findings were underwhelming. Using data based on a study of 16,000 Americans the good professor concluded that "sexual activity enters strongly positive in happiness equations"; "higher income does not buy more sex or more sexual partners"; and "married people have more sex" than anyone else.

To be really happy the best number of sexual partners to have in a year is just one.

If you want to know anymore you'll have to read the paper for yourself. But I should warn you that it is written in a language intended for academics. The following equation is central to Blanchflower's case and that is

r = h (u (y,s,z, t) ) + e

but perhaps you knew that already...