Here’s a list of articles that I have been reading today (organized by topic):

Economics and Happiness

• Are economics students happier? One estimation from Germany, by Tyler Cowen

Health Care Reform

• Single Payer, Many Faults, by Joseph Rago

“Roger M. Battistella argues in “Health Care Turning Point” that the last thing the health-care system needs is more government involvement. His prescription: market competition.”

• Obama’s Misleading Assault on the Insurance Industry, by John Calfee

“The president knows better than his demagoguery suggests.”

• Why Health Reform Is Bad Politics, by Kim Strassel

“Contrary to all the theories, Democrats will not benefit from ObamaCare.”

Politics

• Road to the Nut House, by Peggy Noonan

“You have to be crazy to run for president. Seriously, you do.”

Magic and Science

• The magic of the placebo, by Eric Mead

“Sugar pills, injections of nothing — studies show that, more often than you’d expect, placebos really work. At TEDMED, magician Eric Mead does a trick to prove that, even when you know something’s not real, you can still react as powerfully as if it is. ”