We’ve all had a song, chorus, or long-forgotten jingle get stuck in our head and repeat on a loop no matter how hard we try to shake it.

But why do earworms happen, and what do they reveal about the way our minds work?

In this episode, Grace is joined by Chartered Psychologist Professor Binna Kandola OBE to explore the psychology of involuntary musical imagery — better known as earworms.

Together, they discuss why familiar, catchy, and repetitive songs are especially likely to linger, the roles of memory, attention, habit, and imagination, and why earworms tend to surface when our minds wander.

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.

References:

• Arthur, C., 2023. Why do songs get “stuck in our heads”? Towards a theory for explaining earworms. Music & Science, 6, p.20592043231164581.
• Killingly, C., Lacherez, P. and Meuter, R., 2021. Singing in the brain: Investigating the cognitive basis of earworms. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 38(5), pp.456-472.
• Beaman, C.P., 2018. The literary and recent scientific history of the earworm: A review and theoretical framework. Auditory Perception & Cognition, 1(1-2), pp.42-65.
• Dodds, C.M., 2025. Earworms as ‘mental habits’: Involuntary musical imagery is associated with a wide range of habitual behaviors. Consciousness and Cognition, 130, p.103834.