Got a Song Stuck in Your Head? This is the Science Behind an Earworm

What's the story with earworms? What are they, why do we get them and can we get rid of them?

Everyone has experienced it; that one song that you just cannot get out of your head no matter what, leaving you humming away to yourself as you sit at your desk or go through your workday. It drives you partially mad, drives your colleagues completely mad, and there's nothing you can do about it...or is there?

The folks at Mashable decided to take a look at the science of it, including why a certain song gets lodged in our brains, what we can do to get rid of it and whether or not we're all doomed to be singing 'Uptown Funk' for the rest of our lives.

It seems that the science behind it is not exactly concrete, but there are a few pieces of information that seem to make sense. The more repetitive a song is, the more likely it is to become an earworm (from the German ohrwurm while your memory can also play an important role in bringing a song to mind. If you're doing a particularly boring or repetitive task, then your brain will also try to alleviate the boredom by playing you a sweet jam.

Whatever the reason, they're hard to shake out of your head, but there are some ways to force that little ditty out of your ear, which are detailed in the video below.

Now if you'll excuse us, we're off to listen to the song that has been stuck in our head for the last 24 hours, which may now be stuck in yours. We make no apologies if it is.

Do you a nomination for ultimate earworm? Or any tips on how to get rid of them?

Via Mashable. Main pic via spongebob.wikia.com