You're sunk in a deep blue funk. Do you turn on your most soulful CD and crawl into bed with some herbal tea, Kafka's reflections on meaninglessness, and a pint of Chunky Monkey? Or do you call a funny friend, flip on Comedy Central, and laugh yourself up a notch on the mood meter?
According to a recent study, how--and if--you strive to improve your dismal temper may depend on your self-esteem. Ohio State University researchers put subjects into good, bad, or neutral moods by showing them a tape intended to induce a certain mind-set. One film depicted a funny scene from "David Letterman," for example, while another showed a child being diagnosed with cancer. Subjects were then asked to select another video from a list that identified only how happy, interesting, and agreeable the video was.











