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Earworms: Why do they stick and how can you shift them?

Earworms are those catchy tunes that get stuck in your head. Why are they so prevalent and what’s the best way to dislodge them?

In , music psychologist Lauren Stewart answers your questions:

1. What makes an earworm?

Tunes with simple ups and downs are easier for our brains to latch on to. These “melodic arcs” are common in nursery rhymes but also feature in many pop songs and classical pieces.

Unusual or unexpected “melodic leaps” are another feature of earworms. Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance is a good example, as we hear in this clip:

What makes some pop songs so catchy?

Dr Lauren Stewart from Goldsmiths, University of London, explains why earworms occur.

2. Which are the most 鈥渆arwormy鈥� songs?

You might not be surprised to read that recent and frequent exposure to a song makes it more likely to get stuck in your head. And people who sing and listen to music a lot tend to get earworms more often than others.

But which songs are most likely to be troublesome? Listen to this earworm countdown to find out:

Which pop songs get stuck in your head the most?

This earworm countdown was drawn up by Goldsmiths and Durham Universities in 2013.

3. How do you dislodge an earworm?

Researchers found that people had a variety of techniques for shifting earworms. A popular method was listening to speech radio or other music such as the national anthem.

Another unusual tip was to chew gum. Listen to this clip to discover why it works:

How can you get rid of an earworm?

Music psychologist Dr Lauren Stewart reveals the methods people use to shift earworms.

4. Can earworms be useful?

We have hundreds of thousands of tunes stored in our long-term memory. Dr Lauren Stewart says that if we spontaneously recall one of them, it could be our brain’s way of “nudging us” when our level of consciousness has dropped. This could even help us in life threatening situations, as we hear in this clip:

Could an earworm save your life?

How a Boney M. earworm annoyed but possibly helped to save mountaineer Joe Simpson.

Listen to for more about earworms.

More from Radio 4

  • Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate earworms.

  • Shaun Keaveny finds out why songs get stuck in our head.

  • John Wilson talks with musicians about a career-defining album.

  • Pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact.

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