>> Absinthe drinkers: You’re not tripping — you’re just drunk. “German scientists put old bottles of the substance to the test and found that the liquid is 70 percent alcohol (140 proof) and 0 percent hallucination.” Still, “Today it seems a substantial minority of consumers want these myths to be true, even if there is no empirical evidence that they are.”
>> Alcohol impairs your ability to detect threats. “This may help explain why drunkenness makes people both more outgoing and more aggressive.” And in case you didn’t know this, drinking alcohol also results “in pleasurable feelings.”
>> Computer-shrinking doesn’t work, at least not for Slate’s Daniel B. Smith, who tried out a computer program called FearFighter to deal with his generalized anxiety issues.
>> The problem of Facebook “favorite” lists, aka “product signifiers.” “The “I like this = I’m like this” cultural moment … has turned us into self-handicapping snobs: Since we’ve taken so much care to craft our own perfect list, we feel more entitled to shrug off anyone whose list doesn’t similarly impress. Would you be interested in someone who identifies with “The Secret”? ”
Photo by Rob via Flickr
