JITOTM11: Earworms!
It must be among the commonest mental afflictions: a song, a jingle, or a melodic hook repeating endlessly in the mind, without regard for topic or taste. One of our listeners referred to this phenomenon as "Sonically Transmitted Disease," and while this "disease" seems relatively benign, there's no doubt it can be really annoying, especially because the mental soundtrack won't shut off at will.
Despite the fact that we all seem to experience this odd aspect of human consciousness, there's not much scientific investigation on the subject. James Kellaris, one of the few researchers who has looked into it calls the unbidden songs of the mental soundtrack "earworms," which is descriptive, but not enlightening.
Even a little bit of data on an interesting subject can provide for a great conversation, though... especially when it's mapped onto an ongoing JITOTM controversy about the Song of the Week!
Listener interaction, odd anecdotes, MRI research and the memorable key change in "Seasons in the Sun" all come together to create a whirlwind of wonder about the way the mind works in Episode 11 of Jay Ingram's Theatre of the Mind, Earworms!
Behind the curtain
- Jeff (a listener) has a blog dedicated to "STDs" or earworms.
- James Kellaris' work is broadly explained here for your interest.
- Canadian classics: we mentioned Music Box Dancer by Frank Mills & Seasons in the Sun by Terry Jacks
- Song of the Week is back! This week it's the instrumental Dogbite by Jason Fowler.
As always, we welcome your comments here on the site, or by email.
Thanks for listening...
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posted by David Newland at 2:00 PM
2 Comments:
Fascinating stuff, as usual. Regarding the notion that instrumental music is somehow "harder," I have an anecdote you might find interesting. My wife conducts an amateur choir, the kind of group you don't have to audition for to get into, so participants are generally completely untrained in music. And yet like most people, with a little practice they can sing pretty well, often much to their own surprise. One thing my wife finds, however, is that while many singers can generally sing their parts very well, if you ask them to sing without the words, they're lost, especially if they're on an inner part. In other words, for these singers, melody and lyrics are are somehow linked together. On the other hand, I am a trained musician and usually find it easier to remember melody than to remember lyrics. I have always wondered if this has to do with musical training, or whether it's simply that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who find it easier to remember lyrics and those who find it easier to remember melody.
Which brings me to a suggestion (if you're taking suggestions) for a future topic: the link in the brain between language and music. It has always been my impression that language and music are two sides of the same coin, but I'd love to hear what you two have to say about it.
3:19 PM
Hi Guys,
Another great show, and a nice Song of the week - thanks for keeping that in, even if I did vote twice.
Also, thanks for the link to my blog. I've added a link to your blog from mine.
Peters suggestion above "sounds" like a good idea. :D
Keep up the great work!!
Jeff
10:02 AM
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