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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").

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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.

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

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