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cover of episode Why Do Songs Get Stuck in Your Head?

Why Do Songs Get Stuck in Your Head?

2025/2/28
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Science Quickly

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Rachel Phelpen
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Rachel Phelpen: 我在节目中探讨了歌曲反复在脑海中播放的"耳虫"现象,并介绍了听众分享的一些例子。我们还讨论了科学家对这一现象的研究,以及一些可能的解释。 Josh Fishman: 我分享了我个人容易受到"耳虫"影响的经历,并介绍了科学家们对"耳虫"现象的研究,包括"耳虫"的普遍性、记忆机制、触发因素(最近听到的歌曲、主题关联、情绪、歌曲的节奏和旋律特征)以及一些应对方法。 Kelly Jakubowski: 我解释了"耳虫"通常是人们熟悉且记得住的歌曲,这揭示了音乐记忆的工作机制。"耳虫"是无意识的音乐意象,研究它们可以帮助我们了解记忆是如何运作的。我还分享了关于歌曲节奏和旋律特征的研究结果,例如速度在124 bpm左右的歌曲更容易成为"耳虫",旋律有规律起伏的歌曲更容易让人记住。 Matt Evans: 我介绍了研究人员通过分析BBC广播节目中的听众来收集"耳虫"数据的方法,以及最常见的"耳虫"触发因素,包括最近听到的歌曲、主题关联和情绪。 Nick Davidenko: 我分享了我个人经常有"耳虫"的经历,并提出用另一首歌来替换脑海中的"耳虫",以及听其他音乐或想象其他音乐可以有效地阻止"耳虫"。我还解释了嚼口香糖可以帮助消除"耳虫"的原因,因为它会占用与默念歌词相同的脑部资源,从而干扰"耳虫"的重复播放。

Deep Dive

Chapters
This chapter defines earworms and explores their prevalence using research and listener anecdotes. It highlights the involuntary nature of earworms and their potential connection to memory.
  • Earworms are fragments of songs that get stuck in one's head.
  • They are surprisingly common, though a definitive population study is lacking.
  • Earworms are involuntary musical imagery, offering insights into memory processes.
  • Most earworms are familiar songs.

Shownotes Transcript

Have you ever had a song continue to loop in your brain no matter how hard you tried to shake it? These “earworms” are more than just an annoyance—they’re a phenomenon scientists have studied for years. This episode dives into what makes certain melodies stick, why some tunes are more persistent than others and what our listeners shared as their most unforgettable earworms.

Recommended reading:

How Do You Solve a Problem Like an Earworm?

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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy, and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was reported and co-hosted by Josh Fischman. Emily Makowski, Shayna Posses, and Aaron Shattuck fact-check our show. Our theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.

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