When it comes to music, it’s easy to cross the line from catchy to annoying. Sometimes, a part of a song — a melody, a phrase, or just a few words — gets stuck in your head and won’t go away. There’s actually a name for this: earworm. But why do they get stuck in our heads, and more importantly, how can we get them out?
Why Do Songs Stay in Your Head?
Some people are more likely to get songs stuck in their heads than others, but almost everyone (about 98%) has had this happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re a music expert, tone-deaf, or dealing with various health issues — everyone’s brain can experience some form of earworm.
But why do these happen? It’s a combination of things. One survey by Scientific American shows that earworms can be triggered by...almost anything. For example, hearing a song like YMCA by The Village People can kickstart the loop. Sometimes, it’s a memory from camp, work stress, or just plain boredom during a meeting.
Psychologist Aditya Shukla has created a list of what makes a song stick in your head, which he calls Involuntary Musical Imagery. He describes earworms as unintentional, random, and repetitive tunes playing in your mind without any real sound. These songs often have:
- A simple, common melody that’s easy to remember.
- Surprising changes like sudden jumps, pauses, or tempo shifts.
- They’re usually faster and more upbeat than other songs.
Psychologist Daniel Levitin, who studies music and the brain, has the same opinion. He explained that songs that get stuck are usually rhythmically and melodically simple. It’s typically just a small part of the song, not the whole thing. He says the brain’s circuits can get caught in a loop, replaying that part again and again.
How to Get the Song Out of Your Head
Here are a few working methods and reasons why they'll work.
Method 1: Listen to the Full Song
Play the entire song from start to finish. Often, earworms are just snippets of a song, like a catchy chorus or a few lines, and your brain keeps replaying them because it’s stuck on what comes next.
Why This Works
In 2012, researchers explored whether earworms could be created on purpose and how they might be influenced. This research, conducted at Western Washington University, challenged the idea that only annoying, repetitive jingles cause earworms. In fact, even well-loved music, like songs by The Beatles, can stick with us.
In the experiment, 299 people listened to different songs, did various tasks, and then checked in 24 hours later to see if any tunes were stuck in their heads.
The study supported the Zeigarnik Effect, which suggests our brains focus on unfinished tasks. So, when you hear part of a song and can’t finish it in your mind, your brain treats it like an incomplete process and keeps the tune on repeat until it feels finished. So, listening to the whole song might be the most natural thing to do — your brain just wants to complete what it started!
How Does Imagined Music Compare to Real Music in the Brain?
When you get an earworm stuck in your head, it’s not just a random annoyance — it’s actually quite similar to listening to real music. Research shows that the rhythm of earworms often matches the rhythm of the original song. Plus, the emotional impact of these tunes can be stronger than music you actively remember.
Earworms actually activate parts of the brain involved in hearing, emotions, memory, and spontaneous thoughts. For example, the right Heschl’s Gyrus helps us process sounds and musical imagery. The right Inferior Frontal Gyrus is important for remembering musical pitch. These areas are why earworms sound so clear in your mind.
If you find it hard to get rid of earworms, it might be because certain parts of your brain aren’t working as well as they could. A less active Inferior Frontal Gyrus might make it tougher to stop those annoying tunes. The angular gyrus, which helps with self-generated thoughts, plays a role in how earworms get stuck in your mind. Also, how you feel about these songs is connected to brain areas that handle emotions, and this ultimately shows that our brains are really involved in both experiencing and trying to get rid of earworms.
Method 2: Swap Out With a New Tune
The idea is to introduce a new tune that might take the place of the one stuck in your head, without causing another earworm issue. You can choose a song you already enjoy, pick one from a playlist of popular songs, or use your music app to play a current hit. This should distract your mind and shift the focus away from the original tune.
Another trick some researchers suggest is to slowly sing a song like God Save the Queen to move past the earworm entirely.
Method 3: Try Chewing Gum
Chewing gum might be an easy way to get rid of an earworm. In a 2015 study, Beaman found that chewing gum can reduce the number of annoying melodies stuck in your head. The idea came from other research showing that chewing gum affects short-term memory and makes it harder to imagine sounds and music.
Beaman thought that earworms are similar to memories playing over and over in your mind. Since chewing gum uses the same brain areas involved in short-term memory, it might help stop those repeating tunes by blocking the memory process.
Method 4: Find a Distraction
Another way to shake off an earworm is to distract yourself. For some people, just thinking about something else is enough. For others, it might take a bit more effort.
One technique is to use a rubber band on your wrist. When the song keeps popping into your head, give yourself a gentle snap with the band to help break the cycle of repetitive thoughts.
Beaman also suggested that doing a puzzle, like sudoku, might help. Just make sure the puzzle is at the right level of difficulty — not too easy or too hard — so you stay focused on it. Or count random numbers using specific rules. For instance, start at 1,000 and subtract 7 each time: 1,000, 993, 986, 979, and so on.
Method 5: Stay Still
Try staying completely still. Moving your body can reinforce the connection between the music in your head and your physical actions. By stopping all movement — like clapping, tapping, or nodding — you break this connection and help calm the music playing in your mind.
Interesting Facts About Earworms
A study in Finland with 12,519 participants found that 90% of people get earworms at least once a week, and 33% experience them daily. Here’s what else they discovered:
- Women tend to get earworms more often than men.
- Earworms are less common as we get older.
- People who are into music or practice it regularly often experience longer-lasting earworms, sometimes instrumental.
- Musicians usually find earworms less bothersome.
- Musicians have better musical memories and are more likely to have vivid musical experiences.
- Familiar songs with lyrics are the most common source of earworms, whether you’re a musician or not.
Another study on personality and musical imagery found some interesting things. People who move their bodies while listening to music — like dancing, clapping, or singing — experience more earworms. This might be because moving to music involves brain areas that help us process and create music. Another idea is that our physical actions and mental experiences reinforce each other.
The study also looked at how different personality traits affect musical imagery:
- Neuroticism (worry and anxiety) is strongly linked to more frequent earworms and a greater reaction to them.
- Openness to experience is related to longer-lasting earworms and more interference with other thoughts.
- Extraversion (being outgoing) is connected to having less control over earworms.
There’s a lot more known about earworms, but we’ll leave it at that for now.
Final Tip: Give In and Embrace
Succumb to the earworm madness with a playlist full of catchy songs! The idea is to gather popular, easy-to-remember tunes that are simple and repetitive because these are the types of songs that become earworms the most.
To make your playlist, use a similar method to creating a workout mix. Start by selecting songs with similar beats per minute, with most pop songs around 120 BPM being a good place to begin. Once you’ve picked out your catchy songs, compile them into a playlist and listen to it until the earworm fades away!
