The scientific term for catchy tunes that you can’t seem to get out of your head is earworms, coming from the German word ohrwurm. It has been described as a “cognitive itch” created by a catchy tune and the only way to scratch it is to repeat it over and over in your mind.
Some psychologists theorize that earworms are the brain’s way of trying to close a gap in rhythm, scale, or lyrics. Most earworms have repetitive patterns or unusual time signatures. Songs experienced in the first 15 years of our lives which we later become overexposed to are notorious for “sticking” in our brains.
There is no clear explanation for why earworms occur.
So basically kids today will be haunted by a lifetime of Justin Beiber and Rebecca Black the way I am haunted by” Hanson’s “Mmmbop”, Britney’s “Baby One More Time”, and the Spice Girls “Wannabe”.
(Source: exploratorium.edu)
