Get Rid of Catchy Songs by Chewing Gum
Some songs are nice to keep in mind, but in some cases any song can drag on. Whether you like the tune or not, recent research shows that you can get rid of the earworms in your head simply by chewing gum.
The study, led by the University of Reading and published in The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , consisted of three different experiments in which participants listened to very catchy songs and then tried to forget them. All three experiments showed that chewing gum interfered with “programming articulatory motor skills” and helped participants knock earworms out of their heads, whether they were suppressing their thoughts about the song or not. Basically, chewing helped to interrupt the conscious part of their brain that was repeating catchy songs over and over. There is no guarantee it will work for everyone, but there are other ways to give up on these horrible songs if some gum doesn’t work.
Want to block your mind from earworms? B (u) y elastic band! | Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology via PsyBlog