Related Papers
Psychology of Music
How do “earworms” start? Classifying the everyday circ*mstances of Involuntary Musical Imagery
2011 •
Sagar Jilka
Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI) or “earworms” describes the experience whereby a tune comes into the mind and repeats without conscious control. The present article uses an inductive, generative, grounded theory-based qualitative analysis to classify reports of everyday INMI circ*mstances, and creates graphical models that determine their relative frequency within two population samples; listeners to the BBC radio station 6 Music and an online survey. Within the two models, four abstract categories were defined that described the characteristics of the circ*mstances surrounding the onset of INMI episodes; Music exposure, Memory triggers, Affective states, and Low attention states respectively. We also note the variety of musical media by which exposure to a tune results in an INMI episode and discuss the impact of musical engagement on INMI experiences. The findings of the present study are considered within a framework of involuntary retrieval theory from both the autobiographic...
British Journal of Psychology
Earworms (stuck song syndrome): Towards a natural history of intrusive thoughts
2010 •
Tim I Williams
Relationships between everyday music listening habits and involuntary musical imagery: Does music listening condition musical imagery?
Ioanna Filippidi
Using an online survey and a week-long diary study, the relationship between music listening behaviors in everyday life and the occurrence of involuntary musical imagery (INMI) is investigated. It is expected that musical imagery may occur as a consequence of everyday conditioning through music listening, with everyday listening shaping INMI experiences. The results confirm a close relationship between listening behavior and experiences of INMI, providing tentative support for this prediction, as the study is exploratory and correlational. In particular, a differentiation is found between positive and negative experiences of INMI, which relate to frequency and type of music engagement. Additionally, support is found for the notion that INMI may function as a substitute for actual music listening and can serve similar functions in the absence of music.
The Effect of Motor Involvement and Melody Truncation on Involuntary Musical Imagery
Stephanie M Campbell
The term “earworm,” also known as Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), refers to the phenomenon of an uncontrollably repeating melody in one’s head. Though ubiquitous, it is comparatively under-researched in music cognition. Most existing studies have identified the defining characteristics of earworms, rather than explore their underlying mechanisms. This study investigates the hypothesis that overt motor involvement (humming, singing, tapping) and imagined motor involvement (imagining a continuation to an interrupted melody) will induce INMI more frequently than passive music listening. Four groups of participants were given instructions for different types of responses while listening to music; then they completed the same monotonous activity. After the music-listening and visual task were over, participants were asked to report on any earworms that occurred during the session and answer general questions about earworm experience. Results indicated that vocal and physical involvement, but not an interrupted tune increase the frequency of triggered INMI.
Music Perception
Individual Differences Predict Patterns in Spontaneous Involuntary Musical Imagery
2014 •
Sagar Jilka
Involuntary musical imagery (INMI) describes the everyday phenomenon of having a tune stuck in the head. Research has established the ubiquity of this form of spontaneous cognition but the predictive role of individual differences is still debated. This study examines the impact of everyday musical behaviors and subclinical obsessive compulsive attributes on INMI experiences. In total 1,536 participants completed three online questionnaires; a novel inventory of musical behavior and INMI, and a standardized obsessive compulsion (OC) inventory. Exploratory factor analysis (N = 512) and structural equation modelling (N = 1,024) were applied. Everyday singing and music listening positively predict length and frequency of reported INMI episodes, respectively. No relationships were found with musical training. High OC was positively related to INMI frequency and disturbance, but only indirectly to INMI episode length and unpleasantness. The identified contributory factors of INMI experie...
The classification of involuntary musical imagery: the case for earworms.
Tim I Williams
Involuntary musical imagery (INMI) is the subject of much recent research interest. INMI covers a number of experience types such as musical obsessions and musical hallucinations. One type of experience has been called earworms, for which the literature provides a number of definitions. In this article, we consider the origins of the term earworm in the German language literature and compare that usage with the English language literature. We consider the published literature on earworms and conclude that there is merit in distinguishing between earworms and other types of INMI described in the scientific literature: for example, musical hallucinations and musical obsessions. We also describe other experiences that can be considered under the term INMI. The aim of future research could be to ascertain similarities and differences between types of INMI with a view to refining the classification scheme proposed here.
Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain
Involuntary to Intrusive: Using Involuntary Musical Imagery to Explore Individual Differences and the Nature of Intrusive Thoughts
2015 •
Victoria Au
Earworms – The extent to which intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect the frequency of involuntary musical imagery
Nima Chatrizeh
Sticky Tunes: How Do People React to Involuntary Musical Imagery?
Victoria Williamson
Music & Science
Why do Songs get "Stuck in our Heads"? Towards a Theory for Explaining Earworms
2023 •
Claire Arthur
This paper offers a critical reflection on the paucity of theories for the phenomenon of "earworms," also known as involuntary musical imagery (INMI), and poses some as-yet unanswered questions relating to the unique nature of the phenomenon, the optimal conditions for earworm induction, as well the underlying mechanisms that may drive the behavior. While numerous earworm studies have focused on analyzing the symptoms of the phenomenon, few studies have attempted to focus on investigating the underlying cause. In addition, common explanations are typically tied to proximal rather than distal causes (e.g., recent exposure). In particular, the question of "why music" (as opposed to other timebased auditory stimuli such as language/poetry), or, perhaps "what about music" is raised, and some conjectures and starting places for future studies are offered. Possible theoretical avenues and testable hypotheses are suggested, based on synthesizing informal observations and existing empirical research across multiple disciplines.
