As the well-known nursery rhyme says "If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands". But apparently if you're sad and you know it, listening to a song as upbeat as that one is not the best way to beat the blues.

A new international study has found that listening to sad songs is the best method of recovering from a bad break-up.

Researchers at the University of Berkeley in California found that listening to sorrowful tunes or watching tear-jerking movies, rather than happy ones, mimics the effect of a soothing friend. 

"Like a sympathetic friend, music, movies, paintings, or novels that are compatible with our current mood and feelings are more appreciated when we experience broken or failing relationships,” said Dr Stephen Palmer, who co-authored the study which tested consumers with different choices of music.  

Similarly when someone is frustrated, listening to an angry song was the best remedy according to the research.

So if you are in need of a boost, here are a couple of mightily downbeat tunes to get you back into the swing of things...  

From the tears in the music video to Sinead O'Connor's haunting vocals, this should do the trick. (EMI Music)

Ironically 'Bad Day' is a fairly upbeat tune aside from the lyrics, but 'Everybody Hurts' is unabashedly melancholy. (Warner Music)

The late Johnny Cash covered Nine Inch Nails and it is arguably the most downbeat song there is (Universal)