Songs That Cause The Brain To 'Itch'

Songs That Cause The Brain To 'Itch': UC Professor Investigating Why Certain Tunes Get Stuck In Our Heads

Here's the link.

"It's like a song I can hear playing right in my ear....."

 

Half of all popular music does that to me!

 

"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."


Well, that certainly explains it.

 

Just got through reading the Motown forums and now I have "The Tears Of A Clown" stuck in my head...

 

Why is it my brain so often gets itchy with songs I despise? Nothing like a nice WHAM! tune running around in yer head. It's enough to make my major intestine, in an effort to save humanity, leap straight up through my neck and throttle my brain.

 

The most "itchy" song for me is....

<wait for it>


The them to the Andy Griffith Show.

Don't ask me why, 'cause I don't know. Didn't even watch the show that much. But that tune will pop into my head at the oddest times.

Hmm... why come to think of it... there it is right now....



HZ

 

Hey, me too!

 

I normally have a song of the day playing in my head (it saves electricity ) - I thought that this was a self preservation reaction caused by attending too many dull as dishwater meetings and conference calls. My preferred tune is the Pastoral Symphony but alas this is often forced out and replaced by The Flight of the Bumblebee.

All the best - Andrew

 

It seems like I always have a song playing in my head.

Sometimes it's hard for me to concentrate on what I am doing because I am going off on a tangent, playing a tune in my head or finger drumming on something close by. I've had to learn not to do that when I really need to concentrate, like in job interviews or first dates. I don't think finger drumming Rush's Tom Sawyer during an interview impresses employers at all.

My own personal record for a song playing in my head was 6 days. I was driving home late one night, and Steve Miller's Jetliner came on the radio. I started concentrating on the numerous subtle variations in the harmonies during the chorus. Then I focused on the changes in the bass playing through the chorus as well. By the time I had that song all sorted out in my head, I had been subconsciously humming it for almost a week.

Thanks for posting the link, Craig. It's good to know I'm not the only one.