Bryan Caplan on happiness and books about happiness

A generally quite good review essay from the Wall Street Journal.

Protecting Saudi Arabia against witches

The Jerusalem Post reports on the component of Saudi Arabia's religious police that track down agents of witchcraft.

It all seems very foreign until you read this bit

The belief in sorcery is so widespread in Saudi Arabia, that it is even used as a defense in criminal court cases. Last October, a judge accused of receiving bribes in a real-estate project told a court in Madinah that he had been bewitched and is undergoing treatment by Quranic incantations, known as ruqiyah, a common remedy for the evil eye.

In the west of course, one would substitute "addiction" for "the evil eye" and "psychiatric incantations" for "Quranic incantations" without changing the underlying meaning.

Via the Agitator

On football and psychology

This is priceless.

Via: Cheap Talk

Psychology and religion

From Slate, the story of The Three Christs of Ypsilanti.

There are indeed interesting issues of identity at play here, but I expect that this particular investigation, which consisted mainly of putting three people who imagined themselves to be Jesus together to see what happened, would not receive Institutional Review Board approval!

I wonder if the Three Christs researcher was friends with the Perry Preschool researchers? Ypsilanti is not a very big place.

Hat tip: the Agitator

The power of symbols

The Economist details a fascinating study on how symbols affect more choices. Key bit:

Physical purification, in other words, produces a more relaxed attitude to morality. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Pontius Pilate is portrayed in the Bible as washing his hands of the decision to crucify Jesus. Something to think about for those who feel that purification rituals bring them closer to God.

Whole thing here.