There is a particular characteristic of music that lends itself to becoming an earworm. If you are obsessive-compulsive, neurotic (anxious, self-conscious, and vulnerable), or if you are someone who is typically open to new experiences, you may be more likely to fall prey to an earworm. Also, if you have a musical background, you may be more susceptible to earworms too.Ĭertain personality features also may predispose you to being haunted by a catchy tune. It’s as if your stressed-out brain latches onto a repetitive idea and sticks with it. And they may also show up when you are stressed about having too much to think about. They are typically triggered by actually hearing a song, though they may also creep up on you when you are feeling good, or when you are in a dreamy (inattentive) or nostalgic state. In order to get stuck in your head, earworms rely on brain networks that are involved in perception, emotion, memory, and spontaneous thought. The catchiest tunes on the UK charts between 20 were “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” (somewhat ironically) by Kylie Minogue, and “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. And the music also had some unique intervals between notes that made the song stand out. When music psychologist Kelly Jakubowski and her colleagues studied why, they found these songs were faster and simpler in melodic contour (the pitch rose and fell in ways that made them easier to sing). Which songs become earworms?Ĭertain songs are catchier than others, and so more likely to “auto repeat” in your head. For two-thirds of people they are neutral to positive, but the remaining third find it disturbing or annoying when these songs wriggle their way into the brain’s memory centers and set up home, threatening to disrupt their inner peace.
These relentless tunes play in a loop in up to 98% of people in the western world. “ Earworms” are unwanted catchy tunes that repeat in your head.
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