Why can not we forget the song we heard accidentally?

This happens to each of us. It is worth hearing on the way to work a popular song on the radio, and it "stuck" in your head for the whole day. British researchers have understood how this works, and why some songs are more bothersome than others.

It does not depend on popularity

According to the author of the study, Dr. Kelly Jakubowski, the ability to penetrate the minds of listeners does not depend on the success of the composition at this time. You can listen to a popular song at least ten times in a row, but it never settles in your head. However, certain compositions have such features of a melodic pattern that they are remembered from the first time. Songs with such harmonic series and are able to penetrate the memory of the listener.

Conditions of memorization

Annoying songs, as a rule, have a fairly fast tempo, unusual intervals and repetitions. Very often they have memorable introductions and losses. The most revealing examples are the compositions "Smoke On The Water" by the band Deep Purple or "Bad Romance" from the outrageous pop diva Lady Gaga. To begin with, one general melodic pattern bursts into your memory, then it repeats itself several times between the verse phrases. For example, it is observed in the hit of American pop-rock band Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger".

When does the melody get stuck in the head?

According to the study, 90 percent of people "pick up" a stuck melody during routine house cleaning or on the way to work, at least once a week. At this time, their brain is not doing anything, and therefore, is ready to absorb a little new information. The researchers knew that some melodies have a greater potential for obsession. They decided in practice to prove their guesses.

Progress of the experiment

The team led by Dr. Jakubowski analyzed the views of more than three thousand people taken from 2010 to 2013. At various times, all these people participated in questionnaires, the purpose of which was to identify the most intrusive song. For these compositions psychologists once even came up with a special term - "ear worm". Well, the research group has to compare the hit parade of the most intrusive compositions with the official music chart in the UK. Experts provided for the diversity of the taste preferences of the public and included in their list compositions of various directions: rock, pop, rap and R & B.

There were real differences

Studies have shown real differences between the structure of songs that are constantly "stuck" in the mind of listeners, and those that usually get to the tops of all sorts of charts. "Earworms", as a rule, have a fast pace and a simple, uncomplicated melody. This is the main condition for "implantation" in the head. Also, there is nothing surprising in that songs in hot rotation on radio stations are more likely to get stuck in the minds of listeners. Another condition for obsession may be some kind of recollection from the past. So catch hits 80's, accidentally heard on the radio. They are able to stir forgotten forgotten images.

The recipe for an obsessive track

By the results of the experiment it becomes clear that the potential obsession of the melody can be predicted to some extent. It is only necessary to disassemble the harmonic pattern. This knowledge will be useful to creative people who impose music on commercials. There is nothing easier: to take as a basis the simple motif "two flaps, two pritopa", put samples on it in the right place. The entire interval structure must be repeated several times. Well, as an original "cherry on the cake," you can place an unexpected turn here, for example, a change of rhythm.

Well, if you take the current research of Dr. Jakubowski, then the most intrusive song, according to the inhabitants of Great Britain, is the composition of Lady Gaga "Bad Romance", about which we have already spoken. It is worth noting that the American singer and author of her own songs created two more "earworms" that hit the British top ten. We are talking about the famous compositions "Poker Face" and "Alejandro". Also on this list were Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Maroon 5 and Queen band with incorruptible "Bohemian Rhapsody".

How to get rid of an annoying melody?

Here are some tips from the scientists who conducted the study. First, turn on the song again and listen to it until the end. Then distract yourself and think about something else. However, after a while the charge of the batteries from the "earworm" will dry up by itself. So you have nothing to worry about.