Throughout people’s daily lives, many are plagued with the constant repeating of a song in their heads. Whether it is just a few lines or the whole song, it is stuck regardless of the length. This phenomenon is scientifically known as involuntary musical imagery but is better known as an earworm.
The term ‘earworm’ was coined to describe these musical intruders that sneak into our minds without warning. They can be a tune from the radio, a personal favorite, or even a song we can’t stand. The reason they stick is because they create a ‘cognitive itch’ that our brain tries to scratch by filling in the gaps in the song’s rhythm (How Stuff Works).
It’s a universal experience to have different songs get engraved in our heads. Zaara Solorzano (9) shares that she currently has “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter on repeat, and Felicity Skiles (9) says, “‘MILLION DOLLAR BABY’ by Tommy Richman is a song that is stuck in my head.” Despite our diverse music tastes, there are common threads to the songs that play in our minds. Music with simple melodies, repetitive lyrics, and unexpected elements like unusual rhythms all contribute to the likelihood of an earworm developing. We’re also more susceptible to earworms when tired or stressed, as it makes us more open to songs taking hold in our brains. Earworms can also be triggered by recency, familiarity, and boredom (WIRED).
It’s not just a coincidence that we get earworms. The earworm phenomenon is often a deliberate strategy employed bymusic producers and writers. They intentionally add melodies and rhythms to increase the probability of listeners getting an earworm. The use of rhyming lines and repetition makes songs more catchy and easier to remember (WIRED).
Though scientists caution against trying to stop earworms, sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. For example, when studying for an important test, having a song constantly replaying in your head could be better. To help reduce earworms, people could listen to the track in full. It is said that by doing this, your brain will realize the song is complete, therefore removing the need for it to keep running in your head. Another way to exterminate the replaying is by distracting yourself. Whether by watching memes or chewing gum, both could be cures for an earworm, as they can disrupt the looping of a song (Harvard Health Publishing).
While earworms could be damaging if you catch the repeating melody of a song like “Baby Shark,” it isn’t all bad. The singing in the head can act as something to think about when nothing is going on. With the many songs put out daily, it is no surprise that some will latch on to people’s brains more than others. When this happens, it is best to let it be until it eventually disappears or chew some gum.
