Best 'how music affects your brain' research EVER

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Songs such as the Village People's YMCA, Los Del Rio's Macarena,
and the Baha Men's Who Let The Dogs Out owe their success to
their ability to create a "cognitive itch," according to Professor
James Kellaris, of the University of Cincinnati College of Business
Administration.

"A cognitive itch is a kind of metaphor that explains how these
songs get stuck in our head," Professor Kellaris told BBC World
Service's Outlook programme.

"Certain songs have properties that are analogous to histamines
that make our brain itch.

"The only way to scratch a cognitive itch is to repeat the
offending melody in our minds."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Wow, the opening paragraph hits on something I've been thinking about a great deal lately (as I've been going through a songwriting monsoon season) - the fine line between "catchy" and "annoying".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:10 (twenty-two years ago)

haha "according to a professor at...School of Business Administration" shd have been yr tipoff that this is not science ned!!

― geeta (geeta), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

"(Professor Kellaris) added that there was also no guaranteed way of ever getting the song off the brain."

So that's why I have Harry Belafonte stuck in my head all day after I hear "Come Mister Tally Man, tally me banana!"

Interesting.

― Miggie (Miggie), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:15 (twenty-two years ago)

this is not science ned!!

SCIENCE!

(Keep in mind GSM wants to declare independence from the rest of campus but has never been able to figure out how.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

haha "according to a professor at...School of Business Administration" shd have been yr tipoff that this is not science ned!!

In a related story, noted astronomer Carl Sagan weighs in with his nutrition picks of the fall season.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Neat trick:

http://www.marquette.edu/chs/pt/images/skull.gif

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Sebastian Bach (the rock dude) keeps scratching my brain!

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey wait, radical subjectivism!:

Professor Kellaris said that his
research had shown that there
was, however, no standard for
creating an earworm - people
could react differently to different
tunes.

"I compiled a top 10 list of
earworms in the US, but the
number one item is simply the
category 'other' - which means
that any tune is prone to become
an earworm," he said. "It's highly
idiosyncratic."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

They made this guy a professor? There's hope for me yet.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha he actually uses the word "earworm"? Has this guy been hanging out with a lot of Germans?

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Read the article...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 29 October 2003 21:06 (twenty-two years ago)

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