Fear not! An earworm isn’t a physical worm inside your brain. They are parts of songs that play over and over in our heads. The term was created by the German “örhwurm” but scientists also call it “stuck tune syndrome” or “musical imagery repetition.” Studies have shown that most earworms share a few of the same traits. Songs usually have upbeat tempos, popular pitch patterns, and big leaps in notes. Neurologist and author, Dr. Sacks describes earworms as, “a special form of involuntary musical imagery which is out of control and can become quite unpleasant and intrusive” (The Kennedy Center).
While earworms are generally annoying, they are an effective way to retain information. For this reason, many companies use earworms to their advantage. Companies tend to create short, catchy jingles that are designed to get stuck in the heads of listeners. Some examples include McDonald’s’ “I’m loving it!” and Nationwide’s, “Nationwide is on your side.” This leads to consumers vividly remembering key information about the company. To utilize earworms whilst advertising, one must, “1. Commission a catchy jingle and use that jingle, unrelentingly, in all your ads. 2. Create a sonic signature or sign-off that you can use in your ads” (Wizard of Ads). This is why you may find yourself humming the jingles of various large corporations from time to time. So how has neuroscience allowed us to tangibly study earworms? Researchers at Dartmouth and the University of Cincinnati have studied the phenomenon. Using fMRI technology they have found neural substrates that support “unprompted auditory imaging.” An example of unprompted auditory imagery is all verbal cues, whether it be a lecture from your teacher or a song on the radio. These studies showed that the brain’s left primary auditory complex, the area of the brain responsible for hearing, was activated when music was played and when subjects were asked to remember a specific song. These experiments also suggested a correlation between the memory system and the auditory cortex. Earworms are commonly associated with phonological loops, “a short loop of recording tape that continuously stores a small amount of auditory information” (Burns). The auditory complex of the brain’s temporal lobe handles short-term memory. Phonological loops in the auditory complex store bits of information for a longer period of time than usual. The current hypothesis is that certain songs stimulate this response in the brain, but there is still a lot left to learn about this strange phenomenon. Scientists are still unsure about exactly what causes them. Earworms get their negative reputation because they’re so hard to eradicate. Usually, they go away on their own, but sometimes they can be particularly pestering. One strategy to help you avoid getting an earworm is to not listen to music with repetitive beats over and over. If you just can’t resist music like this and end up getting an earworm, there are a few ways to try and get rid of it. The most popular eradication method is to listen to the full song all the way to the end. Most of the time we get earworms because our brains get stuck in a loop. We sing a popular chorus but can’t seem to find our way out of it. This is called the Zeigarnik Effect; the brain works hard to remember unfinished tasks. Other common methods include chewing gum and walking to a different tempo than the song. These methods distract your brain by activating different parts. You again find yourself taking a walk outside on a beautiful day. Your music is blaring and the sun is out. Unlike before, when a song gets stuck in your head, you know all about it. You know that a phonological loop is replaying in your auditory complex and that the song lyrics are imprinted in your memory. To combat this, you replay and listen to the full song while changing your walking pace. Congratulations! You just overcame an earworm!
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