Earworm removal -- more fun than a root canal!

Bothered by earworms?  Looking for a cure?  Step into the virtual clinic, where the doctor is always in!

First, a critical, preliminary question:  If you or a loved one are experiencing an earworm episode, are you/they (a) thinking about a song, tune, jingle, audio logo, or other form of music obsessively, or are you/they (b) actually hearing the music, as though it were coming from an external sound source (radio, stereo, etc)? 

If you answered (a) – merely thinking about some music obsessively – you may find the suggestions on this page helpful.  No promises, no guarantees, but some people find these strategies for combating earworms to be helpful. 

If you answered (b) – actually hearing the music that's stuck in your head – please consult a mental health professional.  This web site does not address endomusia or auditory hallucinations, which require medical intervention.

Strategies for Getting a Song “Un-stuck”

1. Distraction –  Earworms like to feed on idle minds.  So get busy (mentally).  Passive activities, such as watching television, may not work as well as more mentally engaging activities, such as reading.
2. Replacement –  Some people try to “crowd out” or replace an earworm with a different, less annoying song.  Warning:  the replacement tune can become an earworm itself.  So if you try this strategy, choose music that is relatively complex and less familiar.
3. Completion –  Songs can become stuck when we can't remember how they go.  Try listening to or singing through a stuck song from beginning to end.  Some people report making up a coda or ending to bring a sense of closure to an earworm episode.  Something as simple as “shave and a hair cut (pause) two bits!” can signal finality.
4. Tune Tag –  Misery loves company.  So why not share the annoyance of an earworm?  Some people – including Mark Twain in the story “Punch Brother, Punch” – report that a stuck tune can be dislodged by passing it on to another individual.  Tag – you're it!
5. Other strategies –  Walk or exercise to a tempo and rhythm that is different from your earworm.  Eat something hot and spicy.  (This is actually a distraction strategy.)  Visualize the earworm crawling out of your head, moving to the beat of the annoying song he is singing.  At the end of the song, he falls out.  (Feel free to stomp on him at that point – just to show him who's boss!) 

What NOT to do

1. Try not to worry about when the earworm will stop!  Research indicates that worry may
   actually exacerbate (prolong) an earworm episode.
2. Trying “harder” not to think about an earworm may actually make it worse.  In many
   situations, trying harder usually leads to better results.  Not so with thought suppression!  Let it go.  Like a head cold, an earworm will run its course.  You can try to treat it proactively, but in time it will dissipate on its own.

Do you have a strategy for getting rid of an earworm?
Please share it with us by contacting Earworms@UC.edu
Your strategy may be posted on this site.

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