#Earworm October 23

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For October 2023, I am participating in the “30-Day 30 Words Coach4aday Challenge” where the topic today is on EARWORM.

October 23rd Topic

Being constantly curious is always exposing my brain to new words or concepts. Today it is Earworm. This all came about when I wanted to know what causes songs to get stuck in your head. Not sure where I have been living but have never heard that term before.

Earworms are basically memories but instead of popping in our thoughts and disappearing they run in some type of repeating loop. This was happening to me as I attempted to compose today’s post. My song was “Road to Nowhere” by the Talking Heads and David Byrne.

It is not flattering but these mental music loops seem to be more prevalent in moments of boredom, recency, or familiarity. Hoping it is not the first for me but rather the CBS piece on the return of “Stop Making Sense” a film about the Talking Heads.

It seems the best way to remedy this is the following advice. When you only know one part of the song, that’s the bit that gets stuck. Once you listen to the whole song all the way through, your brain gets the message that it’s complete, so there’s no need for it to repeat. 

October 23rd 30 Words or Less on Earworms

“Getting rid of Earworms often means listening to the entire song. Getting rid of anxiety often means completing the task at hand.”