Music psychology researcher Victoria Williamson, author of You Are the Music: How Music Reveals What It Means to be Human, gives us an official definition of earworms. An earworm is “a short snippet of music that comes unbidden into the mind and then repeats outside the will of conscious control” (from an interview in Europe’s Journal of Psychology).
A common synonym is “musical imagery,” and another is stuck song syndrome.
Why should we care about earworms? For one thing, for good or for bad, the vast majority of us have them. Furthermore, though not always unpleasant or unwanted, earworms are troublesome to many.
They may last 15-30 seconds or up to a few minutes or even hours.
Yours will often be different from mine.
As some songs are catchier than others, of course, those are more likely to become someone’s earworm. “We Are The Champions” is a biggie. “Bad Romance.” “Don’t Stop Believin.” “Call Me Maybe.” “Let It Go” from Frozen. “Happy.” The list could go on and on.
As reported by BPS Research Digest, University of London research so far shows that triggers to earworms include:
- hearing a song repeatedly and/or frequently
- specific memories
- mood and stress
Psychologist Lauren Stewart names a few other triggers (reported in Telegraph);
- a “wandering mind”
- “altered emotional states”
- having OCD traits
For those of you whose earworms are getting on your nerves, there are methods you can use to try to get rid of them.
A “trick” from psychology professor Ira Hyman (PsychologicalScience.org): “We can banish earworms from our brains by engaging in an absorbing task– something that is not too easy, but not too difficult, either.” Suggestions include reading, playing a video game, participating in sports—what works for one person will be different for the next.
Although this stands a good chance of pushing out the earworm, he warns that it could still come back. If so, “listen to something else,” he advises.
The University of London researchers echo the latter and encourage the selection of a particularly non-catchy tune as a replacement. Another suggestion: make yourself listen to the whole song or actually sing it.
If, however, you have an audience around you for the latter, consider something that’s happened to me (or because of me): while your singing could indeed eliminate your earworm it also could simultaneously make you an “earworm carrier”—when someone else “catches” it, in other words. And some people are bound not to like this.
Hello I keep hearing Bryan Adams , Straight from the Heart , when I turn on my 12,000 btu window Air conditioner , this is crazy , please reply , thanks Harvey , please give me some information .
Harvey, What you are describing is different than an earworm. It may be helpful to ask your physician what this might be about.
Best wishes,
Ros
My earworms occur anytime that my brain is not occupied with a specific task, such as reading, watching TV, or conversing with someone. I hear lyrics to a variety of songs, ranging from a jingle that I’ve heard from an advertisement to a song that I haven’t heard in years. Earworms don’t bother me most of the time such as when I’m taking a shower or just relaxing. However, I have insomnia, and earworms seem to enhance my inability to fall asleep. I have tried listening to the song that is currently playing in my head, listening to different music, and listening to bedtime stories for adults such as “Nothing Much Happens.” Unfortunately, none of these methods have helped. Do you have any advice or suggestions?
Have you ever tried this “game”: pick some kind of category, e.g., names of flowers, and go through the alphabet A to Z, trying to name those that begin with each letter. If nothing comes to mind for a particular letter (certain ones will usually be near impossible), move on. Do as many categories as you need. It refocuses your thoughts or what’s stuck on your mind and can get tedious enough to lull you into sleep.
It is 2:01 AM, and I am still awake. I have tried listening to an adult bedtime story, but apparently, it is not helping much. I will give this a try. Thank you for your help. If you have other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks. Betty
I’m afraid that’s all I’ve got in the category of non-medicinal consultation. Have you considered or tried sleep aids, either prescribed or over the counter?
For most of my life I have had ear worms, but they have gotten worse as I’ve aged (I’m 76). I get them like most people, from something I’ve heard recently, but I also have what I call this Wurlitzer juke box in my head that, almost every morning, gets some song going in my head that I may not have heard in many years. I tell my wife, “The song du jour is (whatever).” Recently I had the chorus to the “Smokey the Bear” theme in my head for several days. And that’s part of the annoyance — it’s not usually an entire song, but some catchy part of one. I’m also a musician, and I’ve had a song I played at church haunt me for two weeks or more afterward. It can be maddening. I can sometimes suppress it by doing something that requires concentration or by listening to music or commentary, but it always comes back when I get quiet. Finally, I’ve never been diagnosed as ADD/OCD, but I display a number of common symptoms. My 32-year-old son was diagnosed hyperactive in his early teens and was prescribed Ritalin. He still takes it. I’ve wondered if it might help quell the music in my head.
That’s an interesting thought. It can’t hurt to find a prescriber with whom you can consult about this or other medical possibilities.
Although I recognize the tune and can “sing it,” I cannot “Name That Tune.” VERY frustrating not being able to wrap my head around this issue! I will continue to seek out other remedies!
With SOME effect, I tried counting slowly and deliberately from 1 to 100 and then from 100 to 1. I am still struggling to find the right mental gymnastics that works.
At night, when I can’t stand it any longer l will take 30 mg of ZzzQuil, which is “Diphenhydramine HCL.” Although I find that effective and getting me to sleep I sure don’t like the idea of having to take something to sleep.
Hope this helps you!