You know that feeling when you start humming (or even singing along!) to that song you hate so much? And what takes the cake in all this is that you did not consciously learn it: perhaps, you heard it played on the radio; from a street-side speaker; or from one of your friends; and the hateful song just got jammed in your mind and wouldn’t let go!
You can’t make it stop, even though you loathe the song. That song, my friends, is called an “earworm”
An earworm fundamentally means that your brain is singing! Earworms, it has been found happen often, and are usually a neutral or enjoyable experience. But, because we are more inclined to remember the things that annoy us, most people only notice and remember the few they hate.
So, what do you do when that song sneaks into your brain and just won’t leave you alone?
As you know, trying to make an earworm go away is an exercise in frustration. Here are are few ways to approach the problem effectively:
1. It’s your brain’s way of helping you deal with stress
There’s a friendly part of your brain that recognizes when stress starts mounting (before your class presentation, during exams, etc.) That same part of the brain also knows the healthy thing to do is eliminate some of that stress.
Your brain wants to tell you: “Slow down! Don’t stress!” But instead, it slides in a distraction … an earworm. Your brain knows you need to shift gears and it knows how to choose the right (or wrong) song to accomplish exactly that.
So, basically every annoying earworm actually comes with good intentions. Recognizing this gives you back your power. They are harmless and just trying to help you shift gears.
2. Let the song play out completely in your mind
Resistance is futile. So instead of struggling against it, let the earworm complete itself by intentionally listening to the whole song in your mind. If you can force your “player” to rewind and play the tune from the beginning, all the way to the end (which takes some concentration), this will often silence the earworm … at least for a while.
3. Shift your brain to a complex activity
You can also derail an earworm with some intense verbal activity — a crossword puzzle or meaningful conversation. This requires the opposite sort of brain function from passively listening to music. When you mentally shift gears and give your brain something new and complicated to think about, that nagging tune often fades into the background.
Treated as a gift, an earworm is a gateway to lowering stress. Treated as an annoyance, well, you already know how that always goes.
