At last, a scientific report holds the promise of a cure for those songs that you just ‘can’t get out of your head’. Some people may enjoy going over and over a favourite tune, but they cause anxiety and distress for 1 in 3 of us. A new report written by academics at Goldsmiths, University of London provides the best hope yet for a cure.

Organisers of National Science & Engineering Week and academics at Goldsmiths have teamed up to profile the subject of ‘earworms’ – tunes that randomly pop into our heads and repeat on an endless cycle – to show some of the science behind everyday life. The Week is part of an initiative involving leading scientists across the country, and touching on a range of everyday subjects from play to speech, football to technology.

The new report, published today in scientific journal ‘PLOSE ONE’, is based on a study of over 18,000 people across England and Finland and is the first study of its kind to explore how people actually deal with earworms, and whether these methods are effective.

The findings indicate that earworms can be controlled in a number of ways from actively listening to another tune (successful for 1 in 10) to immersing yourself in the tune itself.

Although ‘cure tunes’ vary, the most popular song used for people looking to replace that annoying ditty is ‘God Save the Queen’. ‘Karma Chameleon’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ also rated highly. In most reports, using these tunes helps block the involuntary cycle of earworms without adopting the same repeating characteristic.

Other successful approaches include activities that provide a verbal distraction such as conversation, watching TV, reading and even praying. Whilst other activities (such as exercise) were also employed, these were found to be less effective. This is due to the fact that competition in short-term memory is highest when the competing streams are similar.

For some, listening to or singing along with the annoying tune itself was found to be the best way of exorcising it, particularly as it enabled people to listen to the entire tune to resolve the repetitive section.

Earworms are believed to be experienced by over 90% of people at least once a week, with an even higher prevalence among people who play and sing music and who see music as an important part of their lives. They are part of a wider compendium of experiences known as ‘mind pops’. These include personal flashbacks and mind-wandering.

Human brains have enormous affinity for music, particularly because music offers so much structure and repetition for the brain to latch on to. The next step is for researchers to explore the theory that earworms might play a role in matching or changing people’s emotional state.

Dr Lauren Stewart, the principal investigator of the project from the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, said: “Understanding why earworms start and stop will help us better understand how and why the mind engages in spontaneous, involuntary cognition. Does such activity have a function? Or is it ultimately just a manifestation of the brain’s background activity’ when apparently ‘at rest’?”

She added: “People differ in how they feel about their earworms – some love them, some of them are totally driven to distraction, and for others, it might be very dependent on the content and context of the earworm as to how they feel about them.”

Earworms are just one of the varied subjects being explored during National Science & Engineering Week, which takes place from 14-23 March 2014. The Week will see galleries, universities, schools and museums around the UK running events to showcase the real-life application of science and the critical role science plays in our lives, from the fun and fantastical to the serious and profound.

Forthcoming events touch on subjects such as whether whales sing for their supper, if you can walk on custard, and what makes the perfect cupcake.

Imran Khan, CEO of the British Science Association (organisers of National Science & Engineering Week) adds: “Everyone should grow up with the opportunity to get involved in science and see how it affects their lives, so we’re really pleased Goldsmiths is supporting our national initiative to engage more young people in science. We want to inspire the next generation of scientists, but also get people to realise that science isn’t just for science nerds, too!”

To find out more about the free events available to the public, visit www.britishscienceassociation.org/NSEWevents

About National Science & Engineering Week

National Science & Engineering Week (NSEW) is a ten-day national programme of science, engineering and technology events and activities across the UK aimed at people of all ages. NSEW takes place between 14-23 March. National Science & Engineering Week is funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and works in partnership with Engineering UK.

Tags: Earworms, Goldsmiths