Today’s MTV Shoe Music selection is Paolo Nutini’s “New Shoes,” an infectious number that celebrates how a new pair of shoes can bring an entirely new perspective. Nutini rejoices the soaring mood that accompanies his change from a “pair of old shoes that were ripped around the seams” to a new pair.
   

The change wrought by a new pair of shoes may go beyond a temporarily lifted mood. New research in psychology indicates that a small surprise, such as a new pair of shoes, may increase creative output among depressed individuals. Shelly H. Carson, PH.D. recently blogged about research conducted at Cornell University, writing, “creative productivity is linked to upward changes in mood…positive mood was induced by giving study participants a small, unexpected gift.”

If you’re looking for a way to shake off the winter blues and jump-start your creative impulses, buy yourself such a surprise. My award for Mood Improving Shoes goes to Starstrucks, by Miss L Fire. Shown at right, Starstrucks will have you walking on cloud nine all day, feeling like the superstar you truly are.