Whether it's a catchy jingle from an advertisement you heard, or the song constantly being played on the radio, you may have experienced the feeling of having a song stuck in your head for long periods of time after you stopped listening to it. To learn about why this happens, continue reading!
Similar to how you can't stop scratching when a part of your skin feels itchy, your brain sometimes has "cognitive itches" that are caused by a catchy song that forces your brain to constantly continue playing its rhythm. The reason behind this is due to how we use a part of our brain called the auditory cortex to process a song we're listening to. Research conducted at Dartmouth University discovered how when a familiar song plays, the participating subjects would unconsciously and immediately continue the rest of the song by activating their auditory cortexes. This particular piece of music would become rooted into the brain, causing the brain to "itch".
Experts label this feeling as earworms that, although do not involve actual parasites, force your brain to be attached to a beat or melody that is constantly looping, or "auto repeating" in your head. This phenomenon is not uncommon, found to affect 98% of the world population. The only way to satisfy this cognitive itch would be for your brain to continue repeating the certain piece of music in your mind, which would cause the cycle to repeat as the song keeps looping over and over, seemingly to no end. Other names for this feeling besides earworms include "repetunitis" and "melodymania".
Some experts have suggested that earworms can even be helpful. A recent research paper that the Journal of Experimental Psychology published in 2021 stated that songs stuck in your head caused memories associated in those events to become stronger, which could aid in strengthening memories of those who have issues with memorization or forgetting things on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, since your brain is continuously active while thinking about the earworm, the spontaneous activity can contribute to creativity and clearer thinking.
However, earworms seem to be more common for musicians, and people who are mentally ill, such as those with OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). Although they most commonly appear after actually hearing a song, they also seem to occur when you're in a good mood, being inattentive, feeling nostalgic, or when you have a lot to think about.
Although earworms are, most of the time, contracted unintentionally, advertisers, in fact, aim to produce catchy tunes for their commercials because by getting them stuck in consumers' heads, they are constantly thinking about that company's product, and actually make them more likely to purchase from those brands. That's why even though you may think it's annoying to have a certain brand's jingle stuck in your head constantly, you do become familiar and aware of it and its products, making it a good advertising and marketing strategy for those companies.
Getting rid of earworms may be difficult, but only if you're actively thinking about it! By worrying about getting the tune out of your head, you are actually doing the opposite effect by constantly thinking about it. To effectively get rid of it, it would be wiser to focus on another activity to occupy your brain and forget about the tune. Things such as chewing gum can even interfere with your brain's auto-repeat process, and disrupt the song's pattern.
However, most earworms are indicated to be neutral or pleasant, and don't need to be a major cause of concern! Although it is usually not an issue to have songs stuck in your head frequently, let a mental health professional or psychologist know if you're hearing actual music that is not playing instead of just being unable to shake the thought of it, as it can be a condition called endomusia. Furthermore, if you experience an earworm that lasts over 24 hours and is persistent, it could be a good idea to see a physician to check for potential illnesses that have spread to your brain.
Thank you for reading!
References:
Harvard Health. “Why You Can’t Get a Song out of Your Head and What to Do about It.” Harvard Health, 4 Oct. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-cant-get-a-song-out-of-your-head-and-what-to-do-about-it-2017100412490.
Watson, Stephanie. “Why Do Songs Get Stuck in My Head?” HowStuffWorks, 6 July 2021, science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/songs-stuck-in-head.htm.
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