If you are blue, says a leading study just released by a prominent researcher in this field, letting a gigantic boxed set of John Lee Hooker (a.k.a., on these discs, Texas Slim, Johnny Williams, and John Lee Booker) play through on your iTunes can in fact pick up your spirits to a remarkable degree. Although you very likely aren’t experiencing the very set of root causes that led the form’s originators to construct their melancholy melodies, you may still be surprised by the songs’ effectiveness on your sorry Weltschmertz or just plain old peevishness. The study cites one tune, entitled “Sally May,” that may be about a no-good woman, but could just as easily be about a knee-breaking student-loan collective.

Additional note: The study was conducted on myself, by myself. As everyone secretly knows, this is a rock-solid indication of applicability to all.