OS X: Selecting lists

In OS X, one of the more annoying keyboard shortcuts that is different from Windows comes up whenever I find myself selecting lists of items (emails in Mail, for example).

Basically, in Windows if I hold down shift and move the arrow key down twice and then up once, I end up with on line selected. If I move it up three times and then down once, I have two lines selected. This makes sense to me.

But in OS X, I end up with three and four lines, respectively. That is because moving the arrow, while selecting lists of items, such as in a table, doesn’t negate the opposite arrow action, but instead shifts the boundaries of the selection in the direction selected.

I find this terribly un-intuitive. Anyone know of ways around this?