Twitter sensation Yorkshire Prose's nostalgic fire place poem 'scientifically proven' to warm up listeners

Film directors, wedding speakers and even advertisers turn to well-delivered verse when trying to spark that special feeling.

However, poet Yorkshire Prose - real name Ben Taylor - has managed to create one which is “scientifically proven” to elicit a particular sensation.

His piece, Joy of the Fireplace, was crafted around the feeling of being sat by a fire on a cold winter night, featuring words that are said to spark memories and nostalgia.

Tests show that the piece literally warms its listeners as amid dropping temperatures this winter.

It includes the lines: “We’re coming to that time o’ year/Weather’s turning and mornings are dark/There’s that satisfying crunching o’ grass underfoot.

“As you walk dog ovver t’ field and t’ park/Frost nips at your nose and your fingers/And your ears glow red like they’re bit/You feel smug as you turn back for ‘ome/Cos you know waiting theeare is t’ fire you’ve lit.”

To examine the power of the warming poem, scientists from Thrill Laboratory tested the response of listening participants.

Using skin flush technology, they were able to determine heart rate, while a FACS (facial action coding system) analysed 43 different muscle groups for signs of increased pleasure.

The results of the experiment revealed that all 12 participants experienced increased feelings of warmth just by listening to the poem. Compared to their neutral states, overall listeners felt a 13 per cent rise in their feelings of warmth.

A later line – “That’s why t’ fireplace becomes t’ heart o’ t’ ‘ome” was the most powerful, yielding the highest feelings of warmth.

Yorkshire Prose is well known across social media, often sharing videos of his literary creations online.

He has 34.6k followers on Twitter alone.

“Sitting by the fire is a favourite place of mine to write,” says Ben.

“If I’ve had an idea while I’ve been out with the dog on a crisp wintery day, sat thawing out in the glow of the fire is a great place to turn that spark of a thought into a piece of writing.

There’s something about the crackling sounds and just that fireside feeling, that helps in the creative process.”

His poem was commissioned by the Coal Merchants Federation as they encourage the nation to save their real fires by turning to smokeless fuel.

This is following new legislation introduced in England earlier this year, which encourages the use of smokeless fuels, limits the sale of house coal and bans wet wood and high sulphur manufactured fuels.

Wilma Brooks, spokesperson for the Coal Merchants Federation, said: “The feeling a fire can give is almost indescribable but Yorkshire Prose has done it perfectly.

“A fire can take you back to childhood memories, allows the mind to relax and unwind and, importantly, warms your cockles in the cold winter months”.

The Government says burning at home, particularly with traditional house coal or wet wood, is a major source of the pollutant PM2.5 – tiny particles which can enter the bloodstream and lodge in lungs and other organs.

People with log burners and open fires can still use them, but will be required to buy cleaner alternative fuels such as dry wood and manufactured solid fuels which produce less smoke.

London-based Thrill Laboratory is dedicated to creating, producing, and examining new forms of thrilling experiences. It is an organisation of artists, designers, engineers and scientists who all have a passion for experimentation.