NY Times most e-mailed articles Apr. 22, 2012

[Really Simple Sid]

How Exercise Could Lead to a Better Brain
A mouse that runs all the time is smarter than one that doesn´t. Probably true for people, too.

Opinion: The Flight From Conversation
We use technology to keep one another at distances we can control: not too close, not too far, just right: the Goldilocks effect.

At Wal-Mart in Mexico, a Bribe Inquiry Silenced
Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing, an examination by The New York Times found.

How Psychedelic Drugs Can Help Patients Face Death
For a small group of researchers and their patients facing death, psychedelic drugs aren´t a hippie palliative. They´re a new way to approach the most dire time of life.

Op-Ed Columnist: Down With Everything
Has America gone from a system designed to prevent anyone in government from amassing too much power to a system in which no one can get enough power to do anything?

Are Travel Agents Back?
In the age of apps, travel agents can seem a bit quaint. Yet the industry is showing signs of growth. We profiled six rising stars to learn why, and to find out what they can do for you.

A Ban on Some Seafood Has Fishermen Fuming
A decision by Whole Foods to stop selling any seafood it does not consider sustainable strikes New England fishermen as just one more barrier to their livelihood.

The Secret Life of Alan Z. Feuer
They shared first and last names, and became friends. But only when one Alan Feuer died did the other Alan Feuer discover the truth — at least much of it — about his counterpart.

Opinion: Teach the Books, Touch the Heart
Teaching English simply for test preparation rather than to develop a love of literature is a mistake.

The Science and History of Treating Depression
Just because the wonder drugs of the ´90s have disappointed doesn´t mean the science should be completely discarded. But it does mean we need a more sophisticated theory of depression.

Manhattan: The City of Sky-High Rent
The average rent in Manhattan is now at an all-time high of $3,418 a month, and there is no relief in sight for renters.

Q&A: The Tech-Savvy Traveler
Ever heard of Uber or Highlight? They´re just two of the apps Soraya Darabi, an adviser for digital start-ups, is using these days for travel.

Can You Make Yourself Smarter?
A new memory game has revived the tantalizing notion that people can work their way to a higher I.Q.

Standardized Testing Is Blamed for Question About a Sleeveless Pineapple
Part of an eighth-grade English test has baffled students and given ammunition to activists who say that it shows the absurdity of standardized testing.

Opinion: Why Are We Drugging Our Soldiers?
Soaring use of drugs might explain the increase in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Opinion: In Therapy Forever? Enough Already
Therapy should focus on goals and outcomes, and people should be able to graduate from it.

In Business Consulting, Disney´s Small World Is Growing
Desperate for new ways to connect with consumers, an increasing array of industries and organizations are hiring the Disney Institute, the low-profile consulting division of the Walt Disney Company.

Op-Ed Contributor: Voting for Yesterday in France
The candidates and the citizens agree: Repeal the 21st century.

Understanding My Anxiety
If I couldn´t conquer my anxiety, the least I could do was understand it.

On Religion: At N.Y.U., Worshiping Baseball, for Credit
A New York University class, “Baseball as a Road to God,” aims far higher than clichés about stadiums being “green cathedrals.”