Javen Brock

Simply chewing gum was shown to help get an earworm out of your head.

Christmas time has come again, and with it, the music. Whether it be an orchestral classic or modern pop tune, we are all listening to Christmas music in one way or another (whether we want to or not). There is a side effect however, with listening to this genre of music. It has a tendency to get stuck in your head. And then it will not come out. At all. “‘All I Want For Christmas is You’ by Mariah Carey is stuck in my head,” said Hutch, a sophomore here at Cibola. So, how do you remedy this terrible condition? Here are four possible options, based on science.

1. Listen to something else.

Doing something as simple as listening to a different song can work to remove your earworm. Called ‘cure’ tunes, these songs were found to be effective in removing earworms while not becoming stuck in your head themselves. According to the Harvard Health Blog, “…the most helpful ‘cure’ tunes were ‘God Save The Queen’ by Thomas Arne and ‘Karma Chameleon’ by Culture Club.”

2. Distract yourself.

Do something involving words to distract your brain from the tune. Our brains are unable to multitask, so if we force them to do something that uses our word processing ability, it makes our brain unable to continue the tune. Talking, reading, and watching TV are effective methods.

3. Chew Gum.

As odd as it might seem, chewing gum is a good way to put a stop to an earworm. According to Mental Floss, chewing prevents your brain from singing the song in your head. Interestingly however, other motor activities do not seem to remedy earworms.

4. Face the music.

According to Mental Floss, “Earworms tend to be small fragments of music that repeat over and over…” Listening to the entire song can give the loop an ending and allow it to quiet down and go away.

I hope that this article helps you rid yourself of these catchy tunes during this festive musical season. If all else fails, you can always replace the earworm with another song you like more, or let the song take its course. Otherwise, enjoy the music and the season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/558659/ways-get-rid-earworms-according-science 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-you-cant-get-a-song-out-of-your-head-and-what-to-do-about-it-2017100412490