I have been infected by an earworm!

An earworm or the last song syndrome (LSS) as most of us may commonly refer it to is when a song gets stuck in our head like its on a perpetual repeat. Some also refer to it as involuntary musical imagery (INMI), sticky music, or stuck song syndrome.

Nothing to worry, it is fairly common. A research by James Kellaris says that at 97 to 99% of people get INMI in a week.

My recent case.

There's this song that's been running around in my head for quite some time now. Of course, when there's a song in your head, you are most likely to sing it out loud or hum it or something! And what if, like yesterday while on queue for the cashier in the supermarket, you blurt out: "Baby Shark"?!

The song goes like, "Baby Shark, do-do-do-do, baby shark, do-do-do-do, baby shark!" Next lines replace the word "baby" with mommy, daddy, grandma and grandpa, respectively with the actions going from the fingers clipping then going bigger up to the arms.

To get an idea what I mean, see the video below (partly because I want you to get the earworm too!)

Originally uploaded in 2016 by Pinkfong on their Youtube Channel , I would say that I knew about the song from since then. Sissy @erangvee actually sent me the link to the video and asked me to show it to my then 2 year old daughter so she can copy the dance and enjoy the music. We played it a couple of times, but did not really take particular interest.

523Million hits on you tube! (08.Nov.2017)

The video recently became viral in the Philippines and even in Indonesia. So being a household which has nursery rhymes playing on the background all the time (we have a toddler and a pre-schooler you know) we somehow resurrected our interest on the song.

If last year, when I asked my daughter to watch it she practically ignored it, this time she loved it. Even my tot, who is almost two is in love with the song. He sings and dances along with the video and asks to put it on repeat. R E P E A T!!!

It.

Is.

Crazy.

Why do we get it?

Based on their study, Dr. Kelly Jakubowski of the Durnham University and her team, pointed out three main reasons as to why some songs are getting stuck in our heads.

1. In between. The song must not be too simple, nor must it be too complex. As for the tempo, it must be a more upbeat and had a rhythm that people can move to like the ones people normally listen to when running.
2. Musical shape or contour. The pitch may rise then go down low, in a pattern, like they normally do in nursery rhymes.

"The quite simple melodic contour might help the brain to recall these things," said Jakubowski.

3. Catchy surprises.Adding some unusual intervals while maintaining it's simplicity and pattern over all, will make the music "simple but beautiful".

How do I shake it off?

I read that chewing a gum can help clear a persistent song from our head. Likewise, engaging our brain into some tricky anagrams or puzzles can also make those sneaky earworms ease out. Don't stress your brain too much though, or these snippets of music may find their way back into your mind!

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Sources:
Why can't you get that song out of your head?
Dissecting an earworm: Melodic features and song popularity predict involuntary musical imagery.
Get that tune out of your head - scientists find how to get rid of earworms
Further Reading:
What Makes an Earworm So Catchy?

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