Earwigs create 'cognitive itch'

Songs get stuck in our heads because they create a "cognitive itch." Researchers say this "brain itch" can only be scratched by repeating the song over and over.

James J. Kellaris, an associate professor of marketing in the Unversity of Cincinnati College of Business Administration, an expert on the influences of music on consumers, reported these findings at a Society for Consumer Psychology winter conference.

Not to be confused with the actual bug, the earwigs I'm talking about here are snippets of songs or jingles that get caught in our minds. It's like waking up to a jukebox stuck on a record.

He says most of the population is susceptible to earwigs, sometimes called earworms, at some time. Women more susceptible than men, and musicians more susceptible than non-musicians.

Funny thing about it, usually I can trace the song back to an album I listened to, radio, TV, or a movie soundtrack. But sometimes, it just appears to pop out of nowhere, with no rhyme or reason.

Repetition is one of the key elements. And it's not always a tune you like, but those irritating ditties you can't stand. Some people say the only way to get rid of the earwig, is to listen through the entire piece, called a completion strategy.

That works for me. Almost every day, I'm bitten by an earwig, and it's usually a song I don't like, but by sheer repetition, has burrowed it's way into my brain. Sometimes it's so bad, there's 2 or 3 songs in rotation, like a playlist. And usually if I run through the entire song and hear the ending in my head, it goes away.

Today's earwig: Ramble On

Sources:

BBC News

University of Cincinnati