April Fool! The Purpose of Pranks: Keep it above the belt, stop short of total humiliation and, if possible, mix in some irony, some drama, maybe even a bogus call from the person’s old flame or new boss. A good prank, of course, involves good stagecraft. But it also requires emotional intuition. [NYT]
Paranoid? Scientists say that one third of us think that the others are out to get us: A virtual reality simulation of a journey on the London Underground has shown that paranoia is much more common among people who have no mental health problems than scientists had thought. [Times]
Meditate on This: You Can Learn to Be More Compassionate: Like athletes or musicians, people who practice meditation can enhance their ability to concentrate—or even lower their blood pressure. They can also cultivate compassion, according to a new study. Specifically, concentrating on the loving kindness one feels toward one’s family (and expanding that to include strangers) physically affects brain regions that play a role in empathy. [Scientific American]
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