Apparently, thinking about death can make you reach for the cookie jar.

Psychologists asked more than 700 students to write an essay, either about their own death or about a trip to die dentist (What's the difference? Kidding.)

The students also completed a selfesteem questionnaire. Afterward, they were offered some cookies.The students who wrote about death ate the most cookies - especially if they had low self-esteem.

The researchers say people with low self-esteem consume cookies to "escape selfawareness." Is that a fancy way of saying, "make themselves feel better"? Whatever the cause, researcher Dirk Smeesters says, "One would hope that companies do not exploit this by putting food ads straight after the news."

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