Faking It
Three psychological scientists—Francesca Gino of Chapel Hill, Michael Norton of Harvard Business School, and Dan Ariely of Duke—have been exploring the power and pitfalls of fake adornment in the lab. They wanted to see if counterfeit stuff might have hidden psychological costs, warping our actions and attitudes in undesirable ways. (Wray Herbert, The Huffington Post)

Flirting Our Way to Favors
Men and women are equally inclined to try to use their looks and subtle flirtation to get a favor out of the opposite sex, but evolutionary imprints explain why women succeed more often, a new study reveals. (Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service)

Meditate on This
A new study suggests that transcendental meditation may be an effective way to lessen depression symptoms. (Jeannine Stein, Booster Shots, Los Angeles Times)

Don’t Get Mad!
Pop psychology has long preached the virtue of relieving anger by “venting” it—punching a pillow, or, perhaps, beating a fairway with a five iron—rather than stewing in it. But decades of research suggest that venting mostly serves to make the venter more expert at getting angry. (Matthew Futterman, The Wall Street Journal)

Scientists Sitting in the Pews
Elaine Howard Ecklund: Most religious scientists do not feel comfortable talking about their scientific lives within their faith communities. They think discussing science within their house of worship might offend fellow parishioners who are not scientists. So they do not bring it up. Instead, they practice what I call “secret science.” And everyone in the community loses out. (On Faith, Newsweek/The Washington Post)

MOVIES
Letters to God
Although lip service is paid to cynicism and even skepticism in Letters to God, that’s not what this indie drama is about. It’s about how a child’s faith spreads to those around him and softens their hearts. (Roger Moore, Tribune Newspapers)