We’ve all experienced it: You hear a song once, and suddenly, it’s looping in your head and playing on repeat. Even during that third-period math test, the melody refuses to fade.
Science can help explain the phenomenon.
At its core, music is the sequence of vibrating airwaves picked up by our ears and interpreted by our brains, according to an article by Patrick Heardman, a writer for Vice. Throughout this process, memory is an essential factor. It turns out that humans only hear only one small duration of sound at a time. These short segments are strung together by our brains and presented to us as continuous sound.
This ability to connect fragmented sounds into a cohesive pattern is key to understanding why some melodies stick in our heads. It drives the tendency to arrange these segments of sounds into something recognizable, even when what they form isn’t close to being a complete melody. For example, the same article states that, even if you make a 2-second loop of any sound, your brain frantically searches for a pattern and a rhythm within it and usually succeeds.
Music is a powerful form of communication; it is an art form that uses sound and rhythm to evoke emotions and ideas. Different parts of the brain produce different responses to music, impacting us by eliciting specific feelings or physical effects.
One such activated area is the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that links the endocrine and nervous systems and produces essential hormones for regulation. Listening to classical music, such as pieces by Mozart, causes heart rate and blood pressure to decrease.
This is why music has such a profound effect on how we feel. Research from Johns Hopkins Medicine has additionally shown that listening to music has many benefits such as reducing anxiety, blood pressure and pain, as well as improving sleep quality, mood, mental alertness and memory. According to Frontiers, a publisher of peer-reviewed scientific journals, recent studies have demonstrated increased activity in the MRI brain region associated with emotion and reward when listening to pleasurable music.
Besides having a plethora of benefits, music is nearly universal in its appeal. From ice cream truck tunes to cultural singing traditions, it’s not only something that everyone can relate to but also essential to everyday life. But what separates the average songs on the radio from the truly catchy songs — ones that can capture your attention with only one playthrough?
What makes a tune stick with us?
Cognitively speaking, catchiness refers to the degree to which a melody, rhythm or musical segment is memorable over some time after the song has stopped playing. Psychologist Dr. Daniel Mullensiefen at the University of London describes musical hits as reliant on math, science and engineering. He also believes technology plays an important role — from the frequencies of sound that determine pitch and harmony to the hi-tech digital processors and synthesisers. All of these factors can make a song more catchy.
The phenomenon of tunes lingering in our minds long after the music stops is known as the “earworm effect,” which has puzzled musicians and scientists for decades.
The role patterns have behind this effect cannot be overstated. The brain is naturally wired to seek out and enjoy repetition, which is why recurring patterns and motifs within a song are so captivating. These patterns can be found in the many aspects of the songs — from the melody to rhythm or even lyrical structure, they serve as the backbone of musical memorability, which makes a tune easily recognizable and therefore more enjoyable.
According to Elizabeth Margulis, a professor and music cognition lab director at Princeton University, involuntary musical imagery is a key factor contributing to catchiness. Similar to visual imagery, this process occurs when a short section of music can be pictured in the mind. The 1977 song “Hotel California” by the Eagles is a prime example of this dynamic. Margulis explains that listeners of this song can involuntarily create a vivid and appealing auditory image of a hotel.
Margulis also finds that catchy songs tend to feature a mix between a conventional attribute that makes them easy to remember — such the simple rhythm and chant-like lyrics in “We Will Rock You” by Queen — and surprising twists that make them distinctive.
The beauty of musical patterns lies in their ability to be both predictable and unique — execution of repetitive, recognizable patterns can vary immensely, giving each song its distinct character and creating just enough deviation to catch us by surprise.
While listening to a song, the brain automatically anticipates familiar patterns and sequences that align with other musical experiences. This inherent expectation creates a framework within which the slightest violation of our musical norms can generate intrigue and sustain listener interest.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen masterfully crafts such a balance, seamlessly blending a variety of styles and structures, defying conventional norms while still maintaining a central familiarity that resonates with listeners. Best exemplified in its implementation of unusual instrumentals as well as a rhythmic shift and biopic lyrics, these elements create a dynamic listening experience by drawing the audience in with unexpected contrasts and theatrical storytelling.
People also perceive songs as being catchier when they move along with them. For example, “Baby Shark,” the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, features a child making little shark gestures. In a study where people were played catchy music while performing mundane tasks in the lab and then asked to count the number of songs they found to be earworms, scientists observed that people tended to recall more of them if they had moved to the music while listening.
Moreover, at the heart of music appeal, is a concept known as processing fluency — the ease with which the brain interprets and understands information. Dr. Amanda Krause, who studies music psychology at James Cook University, conducted a study analyzing more than 270 top-five UK chart songs from 1999 to 2014. Krause discovered that songs with basic lyric readability not only reach higher chart positions but also resonate more deeply with listeners.
While there is not much to take away from the lyrics of Baby Shark, its nonsensical nature is precisely what appeals to certain audiences. Because you don’t need a full grasp of the language to follow the song, it attains a broader appeal to a more global audience.
So it seems a song’s immediate memorability boils down to a variety of factors. Whether in its ability to blend familiarity with novelty or inspire involuntary, mental images, the brain engages with sound in ways that make the right melodies indelible and enjoyable. As research continues to uncover the science behind, one thing remains clear — humans connect deeply to music, shaping who they are at the deepest level.
