What's the best technique for getting rid of an earworm?
Asked by
syz (
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March 28th, 2010
You know, that oh-so-sticky song that’s stuck in your head, that song that you don’t even like. Do you intentionally give yourself a less horrible earworm or do you have some other method of escaping the madness?
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9 Answers
Watch Mama Mia and your earworm will be replaced by any of several songs by Abba.
My eyes!!!
Thanks @janbb, I’d almost toss a coin between Abba and Stevie Nicks for torture by earworm.
Oh man – we watched Mama Mia with our best friends and then all went on a week’s vacation together. As soon as one person had almost gotten “Dancin’ Queen” out of their heads, someone else would be singing the chorus. It was torture!
Yellow Submarine neutralizes all.
whatever you do, don’t worry too much about it or you may fall prey to the white bear phenomenon!!! bum bum BUM! (that was scary music…not sure how good my onomatopoeia skills are)
i refer to the work of daniel wegner and thought suppression…participants told to not think of a white bear found themselves unable to think of anything else! sooo maybe the reverse would help: DO try to think of a white bear (or in your case, belt that song out aloud and flood your mind with it!) and maybe then it’ll disappear!
Put on your favorite music and sing – loudly.
@msbauer That huge, incredible word, combined with a dangling participle. Hot damn! I thought I was the only one who screwed up that badly. Easily worth a GA. Bahahahaha!
As for the question, I do word or image association. For word association, pick a key word out of the song and think of the first thing that comes to mind. With the next thing that comes to mind, do it again. Repeat.
For image association, think of the emotion or feeling the song evokes, then create a scenario around it. Think of what details would be in that scenario, and keep it up. It works great because you’re not exactly denying your mind access to the song. You’re merely enhancing it.
Jeez when I saw @syz asked this question I immediately looked in on it. I assumed it was some horrible disease my dogs might contract and I should know about.
Heheheh, I never heard that phrase before, it is a little bit gross!!! And I am sorry I don’t have a solution, but good luck!
Earworms come from Germany. There are no pills I’m afraid. Patience is the only remedy. But most earworms are replaced by another one within a week.
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