Why do songs stay stuck in our head?

Question

Why do songs stay stuck in our head?

Answer 1

I don't know exactly.  I wonder that myself.  But I'm sure it has to do with us just being very aware (whether we realize it or not) of the music at that point.  Maybe it's just super catchy.  Maybe we hear the song a lot. haha Thats the best I got for ya.

Answer 2

All of the different tones, harmonies, words, etc in music contribute to the effect of them being ingrained in our minds. Everyones brain works differently, for example some remember names really well, while others associate certain things with certain situations, and others may be extremely good at remembering trivial information. In short though its the brains ability to capture material and imbed it in our minds.

Answer 3

I do not know.  But that is a great question!

Answer 4

The power of music is immense.  Our minds easily recall bits of information that are easy to remember,and a tune helps us remember.

Answer 5

by repetitive listening. it is a normal function of the brain to retain informaton that comes it's way and the more we listen to the same stuff the easier it gets stuck

Answer 6

♥ughhh... i dont kno!!! I hate it cuz in school it'll just pop into my head and I cant concentrate on anything but that song

♥& its usually a song that I hate...like that one miley cyrus song got stuck in my head & I was sooo annoyed!!

Answer 7

Songs That Cause The Brain To 'Itch': UC Professor

Investigating Why Certain Tunes Get Stuck In Our Heads

Date: April 4, 2001

By: Carey Hoffman

Phone: [phone]

Archive: Research News

Warning! The song titles below this line may be hazardous to your sanity:

# "It's A Small World After All"

# "We Will Rock You"

# "The Macarena"

# "Whomp - There It Is"

# "The Theme from Gilligan's Island"

What do these disparate works have in common? They were cited by respondents in a study of tunes that get "stuck in your head." Determining why such songs have that ability is the goal of James J. Kellaris, an associate professor of marketing in the University of Cincinnati College of Business Administration.

UC associate professor of marketing James J. Kellaris

Having songs "stuck in your head" happens to nearly all of us. Ninety-nine percent of study respondents said they have experienced the phenomenon. Almost 50 percent say that it occurs frequently.

Kellaris, an expert on the influences of music on consumers, reported preliminary results on his work last month at the Society for Consumer Psychology's winter conference. He has a sample of 1,000 respondents to work with in analyzing his theory that certain songs create a sort of "cognitive itch" - the mental equivalent of an itchy back.

"It is like the familiar pattern of itching and scratching," Kellaris says. "The only way to 'scratch' a cognitive itch is to rehearse the responsible tune mentally. The process may start involuntarily, as the brain detects an incongruity or something 'exceptional' in the musical stimulus. The ensuing mental repetition may exacerbate the 'itch,' such that the mental rehearsal becomes largely involuntary, and the individual feels trapped in a cycle or feedback loop."

Kellaris' research seeks to identify characteristics of music that make them memorable. His preliminary work points in three directions he believes play a role:

# Repetition: One theme song that respondents reported as getting stuck in their heads often was "Mission: Impossible." Kellaris was not surprised. "A repeated phrase, motif or sequence might be suggestive of the very act of repetition itself, such that the brain echoes the pattern automatically as the musical information is processed," he says.

# Musical simplicity: Simpler songs appear more likely to make your brain itch. Anyone who has ever had the misfortune of getting Barney's "I Love You, You Love Me" song stuck can attest to that. Generally, children's songs are more prone to getting stuck than classical music, Kellaris says.

# Incongruity: When a song does something unexpected, it can also spark a cognitive itch. Examples include the irregular time signatures of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" or the song "America" from West Side Story. Unpredictable melodic patterns or an unexpectedly articulated individual note can have the same impact.