$~~~~$Music has a tendency to get stuck in our heads. Sometimes a tune intrudes on our thoughts and then plays, and replays, in a never-ending loop. This interesting phenomenon becomes a subject explored by many scientists. They use a range of terms to describe it—stuck-song syndrome, sticky music, cognitive itch, or most commonly “earworm.” Earworms can run around our heads for several minutes to numerous hours. As the melody repeats, it becomes embedded into our mind. Even though our ears do not hear the tune, our brain continues to play it.
$~~~~$Earworms often take the form of song fragments rather than entire songs, and the song is usually a familiar one. Researchers are not sure why some songs are more likely to get stuck in our heads than others, but everyone has their own tunes. Often those songs have a simple, upbeat melody and catchy, repetitive lyrics, such as popular commercial jingles and slightly annoying radio hits. Recent or repeated exposure to a song or even a small part of a song can also trigger earworms, as can word associations, such as a phrase similar to the lyrics of a song.
$~~~~$While earworms might be annoying, most people who experience them nevertheless report that they are pleasant or at least neutral. Only a third of people are disturbed by the song in their heads. How people cope with their earworms seems to depend on how they feel about them. Those who have positive feelings about their stuck songs prefer to just “let them be,” while those with negative feelings turn to more behavioral responses, which include coping strategies such as singing, talking, or even praying.