Can't get that song out of your head? You're not alone
A Canadian researcher has begun looking into those pesky "earworms," the songs that just won't get out of your head.
The University of Montreal study found that 98 to 99 percent of the population has gotten "infected" at one time or another.
Andréane McNally-Gagnon, a PhD student at the University of Montreal Department of Psychology, found in most cases the earworms disappear after a few minutes.
As many of you probably know, they can last hours or days.
The researcher asked French-speaking Internet uses to rank 100 pop songs according to their ability to repeat the lyrics. Even though they are French, you'll probably recognize the top songs (full list here):
Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly; Live Is Life by Opus; Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin; and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.
She's also found that earworms lasted longer in musicians, and they usually happened when people were in positive moods and busy with non-intellectual, low-concentration activities such as walking.
The researcher plans to keep studying the phenomenon. Perhaps she'll come up with a cure.
AP photo of Gloria Gaynor
Comments
One popular bit of urban folklore is that one "surefire" way to kill off an "earworm" is to go ahead and sing it all the way to the end to purge yourself of it. Years ago, this was the subject of a "Family Circus" cartoon, where someone told the father how to get rid of the song by singing it, which results in the father singing "Oh, the farmer in the dell, THE FARMER IN THE DELL....." in a corporate office.
Of course, how we're supposed to apply that technique when the tune in question is a symphony, a majestic guitar riff, or a bagpipe-jazz fusion number is still beyond me, though I've tried "air guitar" to no avail.
Posted by: Alexander D. Mitchell IV | June 7, 2010 8:56 AM
What really bugs me about earworms is when I get them when I'm trying to go to sleep. Then I'll wake up hours later and IT'S STILL PLAYING!
I've found the only way to get rid of the tune is to replace it with another one, preferably one that you like better.
Posted by: bluzdude | June 7, 2010 11:42 AM