I can't get that song out of my head!

By TinaMarie Cerreta




Hello Everyone!

Ever get a song stuck in your head? It can be annoying sometimes, like when you're trying to sleep and a few song lyrics just keep repeating in your head. Not the whole song, just a line or two, enough to be frustrating and keep you awake longer. Then you have to think of another song to hopefully replace that one and let you finally fall asleep. This happens to me a lot.

Especially if I see something with "The Muppets" singing that addictive song, "Mah Nà Mah Nà." It just runs forever in my head, over and over. Think about ads like the carpet commercial with that catchy jingle of the telephone number, or the famous ad with passengers on a commuter bus singing operatic jingles to each other, famously belting out the chorus.

Those advertisers are counting on viewers replaying that information in their minds so they'll remember it for the future. But, as the listener,  it can be annoying or distracting. Its a real thing. And here is what I've found:


Why Songs Get Stuck

  • Cognitive Itch: Your brain latches onto catchy or incomplete melodies and loops them in the auditory cortex. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • Zeigarnik Effect: Your brain craves closure. If a fragment of a song plays on repeat, your brain gets stuck trying to finish the musical loop. [1]
  • Phonological Loop: Your internal mental recording system keeps the song spinning by subconsciously activating the nerve signals required to sing the lyrics. [1]
  • Triggers: Earworms are associative—moods, recent memories, or specific words can act as subconscious triggers. [1]

Science-Backed Cures
  • Chew Gum: Disrupts the subconscious nerve signals in your throat and jaw that your brain uses to "silently sing" the lyrics.
  • Listen to the Whole Song: Gives your brain the closure it craves to complete the musical loop.
  • Play a "Cure-All" Song: Replace the earworm with a designated, less catchy tune, or play ambient white noise.
  • Engage Your Verbal Memory: Read a dense text or speak out loud, as lyrics compete for the same language-processing areas in your brain.
  • Do a Puzzle: Shift your cognitive resources to a new activity that occupies your working memory. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Regardless of what you do, sooner or later it will pass and your mind will start to pick up something different and if your trying to sleep, it will happen-eventually. 


That's all I've got for you today. Have a great week and catch you tomorrow! 

Here's my quote of the day:
"We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are."--Max DePree

 
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