Why do songs get stuck in our heads?
The short answer
After a song ends, part of it can return from memory and repeat in our minds without us choosing it. Researchers call this experience involuntary musical imagery.
In 30 seconds
The song is not actually playing in the room. Your mind is recalling part of it from musical memory. A song you heard recently or know well, along with a cue in your surroundings, can help bring it to mind.
What is an earworm?
“Earworm” is an everyday word for a tune that seems to play in your head on its own. Researchers use the term “involuntary musical imagery.” Sometimes it is a chorus or a short phrase rather than a whole song.
Why that song?
Knowing a song well and hearing it recently can affect how easily it comes to mind. In one survey and diary study, a song that continued in someone’s mind right after listening was more likely to return later. Sounds or events around us can also act as cues.
Research has also found links between earworms, a song’s popularity, and features of its melody. But people know different songs and connect them with different memories, so there is no rule that makes one particular song stick for everyone.
Why does it seem to repeat?
Once a piece of a song comes to mind, we may trace the same phrase again in our thoughts. Because we know what comes next, we may also imagine the next notes or words. Researchers have not yet fully explained what keeps every repeated tune going.
A common misconception
It is not only annoying songs that get stuck. Studies have found that songs people know and like can also pop into mind without warning. And an “earworm” is a figure of speech; no insect is making a sound inside your ear.
Key point
Earworms are a common everyday experience and are usually not a problem. The songs that come to mind, and the cues that bring them back, differ from person to person.