TIL - Why Songs Get Stuck In Our Head
We all had those experiences - we hear a popular song on the radio and it ends up repeating in our head for entire day to the point where you want to push your finger through the eye and swirl it around. Whether you kinda like the song or hate it's guts, after so many repeating it starts driving you nuts.
These songs are called earworms (from a German word with the same meaning) and no, they are not some parasites that lay annoying eggs in your ear canal. But they can have a parasitic behavior because they bring more headache the more you scratch that itch. Phrases that are used to describe earworm state include "involuntary musical imagery" or "stuck song syndrome". One study showed that more than 90 percent of people suffer from this condition at least once a week.
How they crawl in
Biggest chance to become earworms have popular, upbeat songs you've heard bunch of times on the radio, tv or from your playlist. With standard melodies, catchy lyrics, but also some unexpected musical element, twist or vocal line that makes it only slightly different to similar melodies.
Earworms can be implanted due to long exposure to popular or jingle bell songs, they can be associated with particular memory or triggered with certain moods like surprise or stress. They can happen when you zone out, while you're relaxing on the couch, daydreaming (or dreaming), waiting for a water to boil, taking a walk or a shower. And it happens with a song that you've heard last or the one you haven't listened all the way to the end so the brain feels like it has unfinished business to do.
When it comes to popular songs, we often know the first verse and a chorus good, but have no idea about the second verse. That's another reason our brain keeps it in an infinite loop, unable to resolve it to the end.
This can maybe explain why do we fixate on songs at all. It's called Zeigarnik effect, and it states that we better remember unfinished or interrupted tasks than the completed ones. For example, waiter has much better recollection of the orders while they are still unpaid. But, after everyone pays, he can hardly remember the details. This happens because our brain works hard to keep in our working memory tasks that are in progress. Because we hear songs in bunch of different environments and settings like radios, TV commercials, bars or grocery stores it's hard to avoid earworms from crawling in.
How to stop it
Researchers are working hard to understand and treat this terribly annoying condition. If our brain thinks of a song as an unfinished tasks, how do we get rid of it? Here are some solutions you can try:
- Finish the song. Whether it's a song you like or don't, play it and listen all the way to the end. That might be enough for our brain to toss it away as a completed task. Learn the lyrics if you half know them and sing along to break from infinite loop.
- Try to replace it with different song of similar melody. The one that is not so catchy, but enough to work as a cure, that way pushing the earworm out, but not becoming earworm itself.
- Find a moderately hard (word) puzzle and try to solve it. When the puzzle is too easy, our brain does not have to engage all that much. Too hard on the other hand will lead to a loss of interest. But when the puzzle is distracting just enough, it may push the unwanted song from your head.
- When everything else fails, you can try chewing gum, as this process apparently uses same resources and processes as when 'playing' a song.
Sources 1, 2, 3, 4, Images 1, 2
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Be very careful about what you let into your mind.
I used to think that I should just be conscious of what I listened to.
If I knew now, back then, I would have stopped listening to TV and radio a long long time ago. They call it programming for a reason.
A way of getting rid of that song is to find the same song by Weird Al Yankovich. I don't Care by Icona Pop got stuck in my head, because it has a very good beat and catchy phrase, but I HATED the lyrics. Wanton destruction of property, no care for life... And then I found I Ship It by Not Literally
I wrote this in general perspective, but I dropped radio and most of TV out of my life many years ago. That's why most of earworms that get stuck in my head are the songs I actually like. And, as a metalhead, it's hard to find anything interesting in the mass media.
I feel it is prerequisites for writing such a post as you have, to have dropped radio and TV. You just do not know how bad they have gotten until you go away for a little while then come back.
And metal just isn't metal without that hard edge.
Earworms...ew. Makes this phenomenon worse somehow. Interesting information. The song I usually "plant" in peoples brains is Its a Small World. Sorry if it like the neverendingstory. :)
Aaah that song doesn't have beginning nor an end... just that annoying verse in a neverending loop!
hence the reason I shared !!
Yeah, I figured :) Now I'll have to try those techniques from above.
At least you know that the theory is correct. :)
Great fist pic he must really have the ear worms.
Haha yeah, I felt he is the good representative of the condition :)
i def think finishing the song helps. great post huge upvote
As a musician, you probably have more experience with this :) Thanks for the comment, glad you liked it!
I liked this post, and the idea of chewing gum is real because of the process of salivation that makes our brain work better.
Although I do not mind when I have a catchy song that I like, the bad thing is when it's a song that I do not like.
This I share is catchy and I like it, especially because it is humorous.
It would be very good if you go through my profile and listen to some of my songs, trance / techno / dance and if you are a metalhead I do not know if you liked or not, but at least know if any of my songs have that catchy essence Which stays in the brain.
This is one of my songs of music
@Networker5