So, this month has been quite busy. Unfortunately, so busy that I didn't get the chance to make two posts! I'm very disappointed about this, but I think I will be able to manage my time better next time. Thankfully, it's now Thanksgiving break (I'm so glad I have the whole week off)! I feel like I haven't been able to catch a breath until now, and wow it feels great! For this post, I decided to find something fun, although not as related to aging, to write about: earworms.
As I mentioned before, Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks surprisingly struck me as an interesting book. Why is this surprising for me? Well, I’ve never really been a fan of nonfiction, informative books. With fiction, it’s so easy for me to become wrapped in the story, like I’m truly a part of it. However, with nonfiction, the attraction to the story is just not there. This wasn’t the case with Oliver Sacks’ books. Each story in his books is so interesting, and I think a reason for this is that I have to constantly remind myself that these are real people's experiences, and this makes me curious about the neurological explanation behind the phenomena. In chapter 5 of Musicophilia, Sacks discusses earworms, or the catchy song or tune that’s stuck in your head. Towards the end of the chapter, Sacks mentions that it’s possible that earworms are “to some extent, a modern phenomenon”. After all, with the technology we have today, pop culture is spread so much faster than before, and catchy tunes are part of this culture, whether it’s in the commercial on TV or the song on the radio. What songs tend to be earworms? Some characteristics that common earworms share are a fast tempo, common melodic shape, unusual intervals, and repetition. In other words, an earworm tends to be simple enough to be quickly recalled, but also unique so that it’s remembered in the first place. In a study done in the UK from 2010 to 2013, the top three earworms were “Bad Romance” by Lady Gaga, “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” by Kylie Minogue, and “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. As probably expected, these songs are very popular, so it’s reasonable that they are heard often, and therefore get stuck in people’s heads. Why do songs get stuck in our heads? In the same study mentioned above, not surprisingly, a common way for songs to get stuck in our heads is repetition and recency. Both these factors contribute to our memories remembering the song better, and once we remember the song, it can be an earworm. Other interesting triggers for earworms include certain memory associations (ex for one person, the word ‘umbrella’ does it), mood (somehow always thinking of the same song when you’re stressed), and even movement (like the pace you’re walking at matches the tempo of a song). And of course, the question you want answered the most if you are currently a victim of an earworm: what are some ways to get rid of earworms? The three common techniques are to engage, distract, or accept. One idea about earworms is that we repeat the song because we haven’t fully processed it, so it could be that simply playing the song to its finish solves the problem. If this doesn’t work, trying to keep busy with another task could help, like working on a sudoku or even chewing gum. If all else fails, it could be best to just let the song be and know that it’ll go away eventually. Well, happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so many thing in my life, this blog included. I hope you're also taking this time to relax and be with the people you love!
0 Comments
|
Archives
February 2021
Categories
All
|