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Subscribe to RSSAlthough it seems maddeningly impossible, new research suggests we really can get rid of that nagging tune that endlessly plays over and over again in our head.
For those of you who had Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” in your head for most of 2012, or haven’t been able to stop your brain from playing “Master of the House” since seeing “Les Miserables” over the holidays, you’ll want to take note.
The trick is this: We can banish earworms from our brains by engaging in an absorbing task – something that is not too easy, but not too difficult, either.
Known as earworms, those songs that just won’t go away are a common type of intrusive thought, according to Ira Hyman, professor of psychology at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. Hyman and his research team conducted a series of experiments focused on learning more about why the earworm phenomenon and other intrusive thoughts are so persistent as well as what types of cognitive activities may help interrupt them. Their research is published in the journal Applied Cognitive Psychology.
“We first did a general survey and asked people about their most recent experience with an intrusive song and found that the vast majority actually liked the songs that were in their heads,” Hyman told NBCNews.com. The most repetitive songs were those that were well liked or popular at the time of the survey.
The initial survey included about 300 participants of various age groups. The other four studies included several hundred undergraduate college students.
Hyman isn’t sure yet exactly what cognitive mechanism causes certain songs to stick, but he also found that once an earworm finds a home in the brain, it just seems to stay there.
“After a while, it feels like it’s gone from conscious awareness, but suddenly, it’s back in there again. It’s almost waiting in the wings of consciousness for the stage in your mind to empty,” Hyman explained.
Earworms are more likely to wriggle in when people are bored or engaged in activities that are either somewhat mindless or very complicated.
“If you’re doing something that’s really automatic, such as walking or riding a bike, and there’s a lot of room for a song to play in your head, it will probably come back,” he said.
At the other extreme, performing a complex task that may be too difficult to complete may also leave more room for the earworm to wiggle its way in.
Study subjects attempted puzzles of varying complexity, and those who worked on more difficult ones reported experiencing the earworm phenomenon more frequently.
“You want to find the point at which you’re pretty engaged in a task so there’s not much room or consciousness for music to be playing in your head,” Hyman suggested.
The earworm-busting activity would be different for different people, Hyman explains. "For some people, it may be to read a book, or play a video game, or getting engaged in sports," he says. "It has to be something that fully engages the consciousness for that person."
But here's the bad news: “There’s a good chance it will disappear, but it may come back later,” he says. And if it does, Hyman has another suggestion.
“Listen to something else,” he said.
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Leave a Comment:
What a useless news article. And how bored am I that I am taking the time to comment on it?
@screminmimi: Could this
possibly lead to something that helps schizophrenia patients? No knowledge is useless, only those who think it is useless are useless.
No here's some science I can use. Die Teletubbie theme song DIE!
I think that Hyman has been broken.
You could always shoot yourself in the head...that will make the earworm go away forever.
Does anyone know the etymology of the term "earworm"? I've heard differing accounts. The first is that it is a mis-translation of the German word "ohrwurm" which means "musical itch" and shows up in 1993. Another marketing researcher mentions it on a forum in 2000. And, of course Spongebob Squarepants devotes an entire episode to spongebob removing an earworm infection in 2010. I think that latter usage is what popularized it.
Looks like you have waaaaay too much time on your hands!
The best way to get a song out of your head is to listen to it in its entirety.
Consequently I have found the best way to stick a song into someone else's head is to start to sing it, and then stop just before the end of one of the choruses. As explained by the old Beatles song: ♫"In the town, that I was born, lived a man that sailed the..."♪
You're welcome.
I used to "punish" my boss for giving me unpleasant tasks by going to his (opened) office door and singing one bar of I've got spurs that jingle jangle jingle. Then I'd wait for the scream. Worked like a charm.
That's all good but what about getting rid of the REAL Earworms . . . .you know the ones that burrow into your brain as seen on The Twilight Zone? I was hoping for some useful guidance.
I find my trusty tinfoil hat takes care of Twilight Zone earworms. But it won't get rid of that maddening Stevie Nicks song that's been stuck in my head since the eighties.
I read a few years ago the best way is to do math problems. It works for me.
What works for me is to play another song in my head that doesn't result in an earworm but gets rid of the current one. The guitar lick from Layla by Eric Clapton usually does the trick for me.
Now Layla is stuck in my head. Thanks.
Yeah, that's completely uncalled for. Man, the acoustic version of that is really good...
I will never get this 90 seconds back.
An old Nashville songwriter, Skip Ewing once told me that the sure-fire way to get any song out of your head was to sing a verse or two of "Amazing Grace" to the tune of the "Theme from Gilligan's Island." Don't ask me WHY, but it WORKS! (and no, I've never gotten that mashup stuck in my head either.)
I always try to run Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Hank Williams "Your
Cheatin' Heart" in my head simultaneously , which seems to help. Maybe the same principle!
I can't tell you how to get rid of ear worms, but I can tell you how to put one into someone else's head. Just start humming, or singing slowly...
At first I was afraid, I was petrified...
That song is the worst.
Or if you're dealing with someone kind of simple, just hum a little...
I am stuck on bandaid brand cause bandaid's stuck on me...
HAH!
idiots!
No Luke, your family isn't here.
I'm normally all for R&D and even obscure research can have practical applications later on down the road, but this is the most .... the most ... the most beautiful girl in the world, eats my candy, drinks my brandy ... ARRRRGH!!!!!
It is easy to get rid of an ear worm - and this method never fails! Just sing all four verses of the Star Spangled Banner out loud. It's gone!
I found substituting the theme to OHMSS could blast out any earworm and not get stuck on it.
The one that always gets me is "I can't get you outta my head" by Kylie Minouge. Oh Damn!
I doubt Obama has that problem. Obama is like the scarecrow in the wizard of Oz--before he met Dorothy and still hanging around.
does this also work on annoying peoples voices????
I know a better way! You just walk up to someone, anyone, and sing or hum the offending earworm to them and then turn around and walk away without any explanation whatsoever. This effectively transfers the earworm from you to that poor, unfortunate soul who will have to find their own way to deal with it. ;-)
I tried that. The record companies wanted to charge me $5000.
I wonder why I love music so much. Is it because of my simple outlook or because I'm super complex?
No.
There's a guy I worked with for years. Nearly every morning he would whistle a few lines from some old hit song. That song would be stuck in my head all day. (so that's an earworm, huh?). Every day by about lunchtime I'd yell "Dam you Lee!". He'd just laugh and laugh because he knew what I was yelling about. I tried to get the jump on him a few times, whistling some old 50s or 60s hit, but I don't think he was susceptible to earworms. I no longer work with him and nobody else I know does that to me. I really miss that old guy.
I was expecting an article advising me on ways to get rid of REAL parasites. Instead..... this dreck.......
The best way to banish earworms from your brain is to YELL THE FOLLOWING: "KHAN!! KHAN!!!" You're welcome Mr. Chekov...
I thought they were going to tell us about that to. Damn.
When I get a silly song stuck in my head I immediately begin the Tina Turner Treatment, that is, I begin singing to myself "Private Dancer", and that erases the other tune in my head and "Private Dancer" has no staying power for me.