Do You Have Ear Worms?

[brain]

DO YOU HAVE EAR WORMS?

When Your Ears Has Worms ~ from Psych Central

(in case if this blog becomes defunct here's the full
quote below)

When Your Ear Has Worms
by Laura L. Smith, Ph.D.
March 15, 2009

WARNING: Seriously, if you truly get bothered by songs that run through your head over and over again, you probably don’t want to read the rest of this blog.

“It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all…” Can you hear the melody in your head? You get in one of those boats at Disney Land and the song plays over and over and over again. Now do you hear it? Okay, if you don’t have access to small children, then maybe you can’t remember the melody. Let’s try some others.

Have you been to a wedding in the last 30 years? At the reception the band leader or DJ makes a few remarks encouraging everyone to get up and dance, then the music comes on and everyone starts swinging and contorting their bodies to: “Y.M.C.A. It’s fun to go to the Y.M.C.A….” or how about “Macarena.” Advertizers work hard to deliver short melodies that stick in your head. “I love my baby back, baby back . . . ”

Scientists like to label everything. Those melodies that get stuck in your head are called earworms. Gross–imagine a slimy worm slithering around your brain singing “Y.M.C.A.” while you’re trying to concentrate on something else. Why do we bring this up? Earworms are quite a bit like obsessional thoughts. Like obsessions, the melodies tend to pop into your mind unannounced, take your attention, are not especially desired and sometimes even a little distressing. Like those with obsessive thoughts, people with earworms try unsuccessfully to supress them. But, the more you try to get rid of unwanted tunes or an obsessive thoughts, the louder they get and the more often they come back. And earworms, like obsessive thoughts crop up more often when people are worried. Earworms, like obsessive thoughts, fade the more you can accept that they will be there at times and refuse to give them a whole lot of meaning.

So,are there earworm exterminators? Nope. Once you have an earworm it tends to stick around for awhile. Some people try to find another melody to play in their head. Others attempt to give their earworms to someone else. So, here–have an earworm…Y.M.C.A….

Laura L. Smith, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of adults and children with obsessive compulsive disorder, as well as personality disorders, depression, anxiety, ADHD, and learning disorders. Dr. Smith is a widely published author of articles and books to the profession and the public, including: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For Dummies, Seasonal Affective Disorder For Dummies, Anxiety and Depression Workbook For Dummies, Depression For Dummies, Overcoming Anxiety For Dummies, Hollow Kids: Recapturing the Soul of a Generation Lost to the Self-Esteem Myth, and Why Can’t I Be the Parent I Want to Be?

[brain]

I confess - I have ear worms; all this time I thought
it was related to Temporal Lobe Epilepsy ... until I
came across this ... well, well, well ...

I don't feel so bad after all ...



Should we start posting what "songs" are stuck in
our heads? Or should we keep this to ourselves?

[TeeTees]

I've definitely got 'em. But to be honest, mine usually consist of either happy songs or nice relaxing ones. I wake up every day to a new song in my head, and it usually sticks with me all day.

You know how to get rid off it ? Play the song !.....as soon as I stick the song on, my mind kinda 'frees' itself from it and allows me to continue with whatever else I wanna do.

[Crazy Monkey]

OMG I must have loads of earworms, yuck.....

I listen to my Ipod whilst walking to work in the mornings, when I arrive at work and turn my Ipod off, the last song I was listening too stays in my head all day. I find myself humming it, visualizing it and amusing the rest of the office with my angelic singing voice.

Why can't they give these things nice names like 'Ear Butterflies'

[hawke86]

I don't have that problem. I don't have any earworms.

[Meetz1064]

got that problem all right..........

[No Shame]

Yep, i can sing excerpts of hundreds of songs, in fact, i remember these little parts of tunes more than i remember other like umm important facts. Or like who the artists are--! Doesnt matter, i just sing it!

[brain]

[brain]

This is the EARLIEST Chilis Baby Back Rib Commercial
(The only best one I could find)



PS: We still think it's hilarious ....

And this one below is really awesome - WATCH HIM PLAY!
(Played during Super Bowl a long time ago)

[epileric]

You are so evil Brain. Make it stop

[drarvindr]

for a second i thought you meant a medical condition where you get maggots in your ears and i was like "?????". but your article has confirmed that i , too , suffer from "ear worms" the title given to this "condition" is repulsive, but then , so are the songs that stick in your head sometimes.

[hawke86]

With all these worms. Is anyone going fishing?

[brain]

With all these worms. Is anyone going fishing?

LOL @ Hawke ...

Nice Punch line there!

[garfieldlea68]

Not In this Lifetime (I even check the poor Dog's ears When she comes in from outside )

[BuckeyeFan]

Now I have that stupid Y song in my head. I need to go listen to some Led Zeppelin to get rid of it now.

Yes, I get earworms too.

[BuckeyeFan]

That's better!

Stairway to Heaven

[Shelley]

Or wormy. I just pwn'd an annoying idiot on another forum with Offsprings 'Pretty Fly For A White Guy. (He does think he is urban and is well liked by blacks.) Now it is stuck in my head.

Sorry.
Shelley

[Meetz1064]

so there IS a name for this problem? *shaking head, walking away*

For some reason I can't get that Barney song out of my head today thanks to some little kids at work last night......

[Crazy Monkey]

I have been announcing to the world today that I have earworms. Haha everyone at work thinks it is contagious, I would have had a very peaceful day if it wasn't for the fact that I couldn't stop singing "Suspicious Minds"

Is there a cure?????

[Shelley]

Very non-flashy: