Shopping Cart

Description	Qty	Price
The Harvard Medical School 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating (Print - Free U.S. Shipping!)		$20.00
Improving Memory: Understanding Age-Related Memory Loss (PDF - Lowest Price!)		$18.00
Harvard Health Letter (Print & Online Access (PDF)!)		$16.00
Subtotal		$54.00

Update Cart

Checkout

Please note: If you have a promotional code you'll be prompted to enter it prior to confirming your order.

Customer Sign In

Returning Customer

If you have an account, please sign in.

New Customers

If you subscribe to any of our print newsletters and have never activated your online account, please activate your account below for online access. By activating your account, you will create a login and password. You only need to activate your account once.

Activate My Account

Pay Your Bill Online

Pay My Bill »

Harvard Mental Health Letter

In Brief: The Quirky Brain: Why songs get "stuck" in people's heads

Published: May, 2010

Most people have experienced this phenomenon at one point or another: a mental replaying of a catchy tune, seemingly for no reason. The tunes that get stuck in people's heads are often advertising jingles, television theme songs, pop songs, and children's songs.

In scientific literature and in the lay press, the phenomenon goes by many names: sticky music, stuck songs, involuntary musical imagery, cognitive itch, mental concert, and ohrwurm (translated literally as "earworm").

To continue reading this article, you must login.

Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.

Research health conditions
Check your symptoms
Prepare for a doctor's visit or test
Find the best treatments and procedures for you
Explore options for better nutrition and exercise

Learn more about the many benefits and features of joining Harvard Health Online »

Related Articles
Related Topics

Daily Health Tip

Try the tree pose

To build concentration and balance, try doing the tree pose: Stand with your feet directly under your hips, feet parallel. Lift your right foot and rest it on the inside of your left leg, under your knee. Clasp your hands together in front of your heart. Keep your gaze forward and take up to six easy breaths. Then repeat, this time standing on your right leg and lifting your left. If your balance is shaky, rest your hands on a chair in front of you.

5 ways to use less salt

7 ways to reduce stress and keep blood pressure down

4 ways to eat your way to lower cholesterol

Evaluating MCI

Medications for depression: Which is best?

When to worry about worrying

5 tips for coping with sciatica

4 ways to keep moving with joint pain

5 exercises to improve hand mobility

5 of the best exercises you can ever do

Simple math equals easy weight loss

Get relief from eczema

4 tips for coping with an enlarged prostate

Can diet help fight prostate cancer?

Most melanomas start as new spots

An enlarged prostate gland and incontinence

Do you need diagnostic tests for heartburn?

5 ways to dodge incontinence

Treatment: Watchful waiting for an enlarged prostate

An enlarged prostate gland and incontinence

Tips for talking to your doctor about ED

Hypothyroidism symptoms and signs in an older person

What's your t-score? Bone density scans for osteoporosis

5 ways to boost bone strength early

In Brief: The Quirky Brain: Why songs get "stuck" in people's heads

Subscribe to Harvard Health Online for immediate access to health news and information from Harvard Medical School.

Related Articles

Related Topics