Earworms

[SMLCHNG]

Songs Stick in Everyone's Head

They bore into your head. They won't let go. There's no known cure. Earworms can attack almost anyone at almost any time.


No, it's not an invasion of jungle insects. It's worse. Earworms are those songs, jingles, and tunes that get stuck inside your head. You're almost certain to know the feeling, according to marketing professor James J. Kellaris, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati.


Nearly 98% of people have had songs stuck in their head, Kellaris reported at the recent meeting of the Society for Consumer Psychology. The 559 students -- at an average age of 23 -- had lots of trouble with the Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" Jingle and with the Baha Men song "Who Let the Dogs Out." But Kellaris found that most often, each person tends to be haunted by their own demon tunes.


"Songs with lyrics are reported as most frequently stuck (74%), followed by commercial jingles (15%) and instrumental tunes without words (11%)," Kellaris writes in his study abstract. "On average, the episodes last over a few hours and occur 'frequently' or 'very frequently' among 61.5% of the sample."


Here's the students' top-10 earworm list:


Other. Everyone has his or her own worst earworm.
Chili's "Baby Back Ribs" jingle.
"Who Let the Dogs Out"
"We Will Rock You"
Kit-Kat candy-bar jingle ("Gimme a Break ...")
"Mission Impossible" theme
"YMCA"
"Whoomp, There It Is"
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
"It's a Small World After All"

Stuck song syndrome annoyed, frustrated, and irritated women significantly more than men. And earworm attacks were more frequent -- and lasted longer -- for musicians and music lovers. Slightly neurotic people also seemed to suffer more.


Kellaris hasn't yet found a cure. Women are more likely to try to get rid of the offending ditties. Men are just as likely to do nothing as to fight their earworms.


What helps? Kellaris doesn't know. But he found that when people battle their earworms, nearly two-thirds of the time they try to use another tune to dislodge the one that's stuck. About half the time people simply try to distract themselves from hearing the stuck song. More than a third of the time people with songs stuck in their heads try talking with someone about it. And 14% of the time, people try to complete the song in their heads in an effort to get it to end.

[UAHparrothead]

"You put the lime in the Coke you nut"

[Jason Mason]

"You put the lime in the Coke you nut"

I hate that commercial!!!!

[bravedave]

Kellaris hasn't yet found a cure. Women are more likely to try to get rid of the offending ditties. Men are just as likely to do nothing as to fight their earworms.
What helps? Kellaris doesn't know. But he found that when people battle their earworms, nearly two-thirds of the time they try to use another tune to dislodge the one that's stuck.

also known as the "Mental Heimlich Manouever"

[mrsmcg]

"Give me a Kiss To Build a Dream On".

[bravedave]

My current earworm is I'm Walking on Sunshine...










Katrina and the Waves?

(apologies to all in SoFla)

[tikitatas]

"3-6-9
The goose drank wine . . ."

The Clapping Song

Some commercial is using it in their Back-to-School promos

[Wino you know]

"3-6-9
The goose drank wine . . ."

The Clapping Song

Some commercial is using it in their Back-to-School promos

3-6-9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line.
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
and they all went to Heaven in a little row boat.
CLAP CLAP!

[tikitatas]

"3-6-9
The goose drank wine . . ."

The Clapping Song

Some commercial is using it in their Back-to-School promos

3-6-9, the goose drank wine, the monkey chewed tobacco on the street car line.
The line broke, the monkey got choked,
and they all went to Heaven in a little row boat.
CLAP CLAP!

Garry! Hi sweetie! Yep . . . that's the ONE! Arrrgggggghhhh . . . .

Now sing me something to make that one go away!!!!!! *smoooch*

[Wino you know]

Garry! Hi sweetie! Yep . . . that's the ONE! Arrrgggggghhhh . . . .

Now sing me something to make that one go away!!!!!! *smoooch*

I's the bay that builds the boat, and I's the bay that sails her,
And I's the bay that catches the fish,
and brings it home to Li-zer!

[Jahfin]

Kellaris hasn't yet found a cure. Women are more likely to try to get rid of the offending ditties. Men are just as likely to do nothing as to fight their earworms.


What helps? Kellaris doesn't know. But he found that when people battle their earworms, nearly two-thirds of the time they try to use another tune to dislodge the one that's stuck. About half the time people simply try to distract themselves from hearing the stuck song. More than a third of the time people with songs stuck in their heads try talking with someone about it. And 14% of the time, people try to complete the song in their heads in an effort to get it to end.

Another cure I've heard of is chewing cinnamon sticks.

[RinglingRingling]

Kellaris hasn't yet found a cure. Women are more likely to try to get rid of the offending ditties. Men are just as likely to do nothing as to fight their earworms.


What helps? Kellaris doesn't know. But he found that when people battle their earworms, nearly two-thirds of the time they try to use another tune to dislodge the one that's stuck. About half the time people simply try to distract themselves from hearing the stuck song. More than a third of the time people with songs stuck in their heads try talking with someone about it. And 14% of the time, people try to complete the song in their heads in an effort to get it to end.

Another cure I've heard of is chewing cinnamon sticks.

I would have pegged you more for the "eradicate the worm with something else" school.

[Jahfin]

Kellaris hasn't yet found a cure. Women are more likely to try to get rid of the offending ditties. Men are just as likely to do nothing as to fight their earworms.


What helps? Kellaris doesn't know. But he found that when people battle their earworms, nearly two-thirds of the time they try to use another tune to dislodge the one that's stuck. About half the time people simply try to distract themselves from hearing the stuck song. More than a third of the time people with songs stuck in their heads try talking with someone about it. And 14% of the time, people try to complete the song in their heads in an effort to get it to end.

Another cure I've heard of is chewing cinnamon sticks.

I would have pegged you more for the "eradicate the worm with something else" school.

I wasn't referring to my method of getting rid of earworms, I was referring to another cure I'd heard of. If all else fails try to actually read my posts before responding to them, it'll do ya a world of good.