{"id":1700,"date":"2011-11-27T11:10:24","date_gmt":"2011-11-27T16:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/?p=1700"},"modified":"2012-01-27T13:27:39","modified_gmt":"2012-01-27T18:27:39","slug":"earworms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/2011\/11\/27\/earworms\/","title":{"rendered":"Earworms: The Song Stuck in Your Head"},"content":{"rendered":"

What goes in one ear doesn’t come out the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Article by Emma Burns<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Understanding<\/a>
Understanding earworms can help explain why we get songs stuck in our head.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new parasite has embedded itself within society<\/strong>: taking over our minds, actions, and conversations. Chances are, if you\u2019ve recently listened to the radio or your iPod, you\u2019ve already been infected with what researchers have termed \u201cthe earworm.\u201d This new parasite is closely related to diseases known as \u201cmelodymania\u201d or \u201crepetunitis,\u201d sufferers of which are commonly heard to complain of having songs stuck in their heads.<\/p>\n

Studying the Song<\/h2>\n

An earworm, a term derived from the German \u201cohrwurm,\u201d is defined as a \u201ccognitive itch1\u201d or \u201cthe inability to dislodge a song and prevent it from repeating itself in one\u2019s head.2<\/sup>\u201d This phenomenon has recently become a burgeoning area of neurological study. Several major universities, including Dartmouth College and the University of Cincinnati, have undertaken studies that examine the earworm experience. Dartmouth graduate student David Kraemer and his team have used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to locate the neural substrates that support \u201cunprompted auditory imagery.3<\/sup>\u201d Kraemer describes the unprompted auditory imagery as any verbal cue, from a phone number to a song. The study found that when a song or portion of a song was played, it activated the subjects\u2019 left primary auditory cortex, an area of the brain responsible for hearing.3<\/sup> Interestingly, he also found that the same area was activated when the subjects were asked to imagine the song or fill in portions that were removed, suggesting that the earworm feeds off of the memory system of the auditory cortex.3<\/sup><\/p>\n

Music and Memory Systems<\/h2>\n
\"'Phonological<\/a>
'Phonological loops' occur within the auditory cortex.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One such memory system that the earworm may be relying on is the \u201cphonological loop,\u201d a short-term memory system in the auditory cortex.4<\/sup> The auditory cortex is located in the temporal lobe, an area of the brain affiliated with short-term memory, specifically verbal short-term memory.5<\/sup> The phonological loop is best described as a \u201cshort loop of recording tape that continuously stores a small amount of auditory information,4<\/sup>\u201d such as the chorus of a song. While most information is processed and then forgotten or stored as long term memory, songs appear to remain in the short-term memory for a longer period of time. Dr. James Kellaris of the University of Cincinnati has found a cause for the endurance of earworms may be that \u201ccertain pieces of music may have properties that excite an abnormal reaction in the brain.6<\/sup>\u201d These extraordinary qualities compel the attention of the brain, forcing it to repeat the song in the phonological loop. Similarly, Kellaris has found that the repetition does not remove the song from the phonological loop, but increases the length of its presence, thus creating the cognitive itch.<\/p>\n

“<\/span>Repetition does not remove the song from the phonological loop.<\/span> Although much about earworms is still unknown, they do present a unique way in which to study the temporal capacities of memory systems. Music, as Kraemer describes it, is a \u201cpervasive and spontaneous form of imagery that punctuate[s] everyday life,3<\/sup>\u201d thus it is a convenient medium through which to study memory. Music is a constant presence in today\u2019s society, and it even seems that songs are designed to be stuck in our heads. The catchy choruses and hypnotic melodies color our daily activities. Have Justin Beiber, Kanye West, and Lady Gaga unearthed a science to reel us in with their hooks; or are our brains\u2019 memory systems simply easy prey for music? The continued study of earworms and audiological memory systems will hopefully answer these questions.<\/p>\n

References<\/h2>\n

1<\/sup> Watson, Stephanie. “Discovery Health \u2018Why Do Songs Get Stuck in My Head?\u2019” Discovery Health “Health Guides” Discovery Health, 28 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. <http:\/\/health.howstuffworks.com\/mental-health\/human-nature\/perception\/songs-stuck-in-head.htm>.<\/p>\n

2<\/sup> Beaman, C. P. and Williams, T.I. (2010) Earworms (\u201cstuck song syndrome\u201d): Towards a natural history of intrusive thoughts. British Journal of Psychology , 101 (4). pp. 637-653<\/p>\n

3<\/sup> Kraemer, David J.M., C. Neil Macrae, Adam E. Green, and William M. Kelley. “Musical Imagery: Sound of Silence Activates Auditory Cortex : Nature.” Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. Nature Publishing Group, 9 Mar. 2005. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. <http:\/\/www.nature.com\/nature\/journal\/v434\/n7030\/full\/434158a.html>.<\/p>\n

4<\/sup> Wagner, Richard K. “From Simple Structure to Complex Function: Major Trends in the Development of Theories, Models, and Measurements of Memory.” Attention, Memory, and Executive Function. Baltimore: P.H. Brookes Pub., 1996. 149-51. Print.<\/p>\n

5<\/sup> Milner, Brenda. “Memory and the Medial Temporal Regions of the Brain.” Biology of Memory. New York and London: Academic, 1970. 30`-31. Print.<\/p>\n

6<\/sup> Kellaris, James J. \u201cDissecting Earworms: Further Evidence on the \u2018Song-stuck-in-your-head\u2019 Phenomenon.\u201d Eds. Christine Page and Steve Posavac. Proceedings ofthe Society for Consumer Psychology Winter 2003 Conference. New Orleans, LA:American Psychological Society, 2003: 220-222.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Article by Emma Burns<\/p>\n

What goes in one ear doesn’t come out the other.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5414,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8142,36912,8143,4181],"tags":[36970,36971,308],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5414"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1700"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1720,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1700\/revisions\/1720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/synapse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}