I Can’t Get That Song Out of My Head!

By: Dr. Linda Carson

Earworms...not the most pleasant visual, but it’s the term often used to describe what happens when you can’t dislodge a tune from your mind. Most of us have experienced “stuck song syndrome” even when we least expect it. You hear the opening song to your child’s favorite TV show or a commercial jingle on TV early in the day and without effort, you re-hear it again in your head. You might even start to sing or hum portions of it out loud (admit it, you know all of the words to that TV show). You go back to what you should be focusing on during the normal routines of your day and before long that same song returns to your memory and you find yourself hearing it again in your head! Why does this happen and is it helpful in any way?

There has been research on earworms or stuck song syndrome, and basically we all experience this phenomenon. Familiarity is key and as a result, earworms are not unique to any genre of music, but they are unique to each person. There is just no denying that we have music memory, both short term and long term.

Can music memory be used for learning? YES! Music is a universal teaching tool used across cultures. Memory allows us to store and retrieve information, while learning allows us to make sense of it and apply it. Sometimes, for young children, singing songs that have content or messages helps them to both remember and apply the information or message. Most of us learned our ABC’s by singing the alphabet song and there are mothers who sooth their young children by singing nursery rhymes and lullabies that convey messages of love and comfort.

Music can also contain significant content themes like health and convey such topics as washing hands, brushing teeth, eating fruits and veggies, or learning our body parts and moving them. This is a powerful combination of important content with a pleasurable element of music and melody. Children’s music that passes the “pleasant to listen to” challenge, and yet contains content that complements early learning experiences that parents and teachers are also emphasizing, can be profoundly influential, especially if messages about health behaviors are embedded in pleasant songs. We try to strategically combine music and learning by including health messages in our Choosy music. Click here to listen to samples.

Bottom line…while some adults find earworms annoying, stuck song syndrome is not all bad especially for young children and their families. If children’s songs deliberately include positive, healthy content and those songs are played repetitiously, it is likely that they will go to some memory bank in our brains. If you or your child can’t stop those songs from replaying in your minds, then that means the healthy content or messages are also stuck in your brains!

Caution: earworms work with all types of music played repetitiously so be very aware of the types of music that your child is exposed to in your home and in your car.

Let’s start a discussion of stuck song syndrome here by sharing your experiences with it. What songs have you experienced as earworms? And what children’s music have you found useful and sticky?

About the Author: Linda Carson, Ed. D, is the founder and CEO of Choosy Kids, LLC, and the Ware Distinguished Professor Emerita at West Virginia University. An award winning, nationally recognized expert, Dr. Carson has devoted her career to promoting healthy preferences for young children and the adults who make decisions on their behalf. Click here to learn more about Linda.