5 Science-Backed Techniques to Eliminate Earworms

A 19-year-old student visited the health center with an unusual issue: music had been stuck in his head for the past three years, and he couldn’t escape it. Silence was a thing of the past for him.

Dr. Zaid Yusufi Rafin, the psychiatrist who documented this case [PDF], explained that it was an unusual, long-term instance of a persistent earworm—a melody that lodges itself in your mind without permission. While cognitive-behavioral therapy helped the student reduce his earworms, what can the rest of us do without medical intervention? Here are five science-backed methods.

1. Play the full song from start to finish.

Earworms are often brief musical fragments, such as a song's refrain or chorus, that get stuck in your head and repeat endlessly. A 2014 study reviewed surveys of people's strategies for dealing with earworms, and found that one of the most effective methods was simply listening to the entire song. Participants said they engaged with the song in various ways: by humming or singing it, identifying the song’s title and artist, or playing the whole track instead of only the annoying part. Some also listened to different music right after the earworm ended.

2. Try listening to a 'cure tune.'

The same study revealed that some participants used competing songs, called 'cure tunes,' to combat their earworms. The researchers identified 64 such tunes, six of which were mentioned by multiple people: “Happy Birthday to You,” “God Save the Queen” (the participants were British), the The A-Team theme, “Sledgehammer” by Peter Gabriel, “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin, and “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club. In most cases, these cure tunes successfully suppressed the earworms without becoming earworms themselves. On rare occasions when they did, people reported that they preferred having the cure tunes stuck in their heads.

3. Distract yourself with something different.

Our brains can’t focus on more than one thing at once, so attempts at multitasking often fail. This limitation can be beneficial when it comes to earworms. Techniques that involve words—rather than music—can help shift your mind away from the earworm. Effective distractions include conversing with others, practicing meditation or prayer, watching TV, or reading.

4. Chew some gum.

In a 2015 study, researchers proposed that chewing gum might interfere with the brain's process of forming auditory imagery, which is necessary to experience an earworm. How? The act of chewing could disrupt the motor skills needed for speech, preventing people from silently singing along to the song in their heads. The study confirmed that chewing gum vigorously reduced the frequency of unwanted musical thoughts, but pointed out that not all types of motor activity led to earworm reduction. When participants tapped their fingers on a desk, they actually experienced more persistent earworms than when chewing gum.

5. Let it be.

Although earworms are involuntary and can be disruptive, studies suggest that people generally don’t mind them all that much. A daily diary study found that only a small number of earworms interfered with daily activities, while other research has discovered links between earworms and positive feelings of wellbeing, both before and during the experience of these inner tunes. Another study showed that earworms are more common for songs people enjoy than those they dislike. For most individuals, earworms are fleeting. If you happen to love your inner playlist, simply relax and savor it while it lasts.

This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated for 2023.