Why Ear-worms Get Stuck in Your Head
We all get a sensation when a song, for no apparent reason, refuses to leave your head — in fact we’re no strangers to the dreaded “ear-worm.” But a new study published in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts reveals a fascinating insight into ear-worms, and why some songs are better than others in sticking in our heads by investigating the actual elements of the song that make it catchy in the first place.
To do this, most frequent ear-worms of the participants were entered into a database and compared to songs that had never been reported as an ear-worm at all. The melodic features of the tunes were then analyzed, revealing that ear-worm tunes were typically those songs that have overall melodic shapes common in Western pop music. A classic example of a common contour (音调的升降曲线) pattern is heard in Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, where the first phrase rises in pitch and the second falls. This makes the tune easy to remember and has been exploited in many other nursery rhymes, but also in pop music.
In addition to the melodic shape, the other ingredient to the ear-worm formula is the unusual interval structure. The aim of this is to surpass the listener’s expectations of an average pop song, showing unexpected leaps or more repeated notes than usual. “Our findings show that you can, to some extent, predict which songs are going to get stuck in people’s heads based on the song’s melodic content,” says one of the researchers, “This could help song-writers or advertisers write a jingle (短歌) everyone will remember for days or months afterwards.”
The authors conclude that studies of ear-worms can help explain how the brain works, and improve our understanding in how perception, emotions, memory and spontaneous thoughts behave in different people.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Radio is for sounds: the sounds of different kinds of music, of announcers reading the news, of sports, and of conversation. These are all sounds we are used to hearing. But in the UK, a new kind of radio programme has been launched, known as “slow radio”. This kind of programme consists of different sounds from the ones we usually hear on radio shows.
On slow radio, listeners can hear the sound of singing birds, cows being brought in from the fields, and the sound of a slow walk through the German countryside.
Some people might find the idea of such sounds boring. These sounds, they might say, are meaningless and unimportant. But, unexpectedly, slow radio has taken off. Why?
If slow radio has an audience, perhaps it’s because it provides an alternative to our fast, event-filled lives. That is what Alan Davey, the head of the slow radio programme, thinks. Slow radio, according to its official description, is “an antidote(解毒剂)to today’s frenzied(狂乱的)world”. In such a world, we’re so busy that we fail to notice the things around us. Listening to slow radio can remind us of the sounds around us that we often filter out.
Slow radio doesn’t just broadcast the sounds of nature and the countryside; some of the sounds are more unusual. The programme makers are also interested in sounds that have already died out and which we hear only in our memory. Examples of such sounds are the noises made by old computers or old-fashioned video games, or the sound made by old telephones. These sounds can take a listener back to times of his life that are long gone.
So, this is the magic of radio and of these “meaningless” sounds. They permit the audience to move out of their lives for a while. A busy office worker in noisy London can be transported to the Irish countryside, and they can even “time-travel” with slow radio’s reminders of sounds from the past.
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Around the world, music therapy is being used to treat different medical conditions and illnesses. Some of the ways people use music therapy are to reduce pain, such as in childbirth or during cancer treatments, or to stimulate brain activity after an injury or memory loss. Music therapy has also been successful in aiding children to overcome disabilities. Children can move their bodies with the music and stamp along to the beat.
Why is music a useful therapy? Music is soothing and relaxing, but it also stimulates our brains. Emotionally and physically, we respond to the sounds of music. The complexity of music (the different tempos, rhythms, melodies and harmonies) provokes (激发) the biggest response. Thus, classical music is most typically used for therapies due to complex sounds and patterns. Although rap or hip-hop music might be fun to listen to, it’s unlikely that such styles of music would produce the same kind of therapeutic effect.
Music has been shown to reduce pain in cancer patients by increasing the release of endorphins (内啡肽). Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers, and when we listen to music, our brains respond by releasing these natural painkillers. Certain types of music have also been found to lower blood pressure and slow a person’s heart rate. Many people are hopeful that music could replace the need for some medications that are normally used to treat certain illnesses. At present, music therapy is used in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, day cares, and schools.
Although music therapy is not yet considered a mainstream treatment, it is recognized more and more as a useful addition to traditional treatment. So next time you are feeling low or stressed out, put on some relaxing music and let the music heal you.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________It’s difficult not to admire the talent of a skilled musician. Whether it be a pianist or cellist, these individuals have shown dedication and passion over a long period of time to reach the highest levels of performance. But they say it’s never too late to learn. So what are the benefits, for both children and adults, in learning a musical instrument?
Learning to play a musical instrument when growing up can improve hearing in adulthood. According to a study by Dr Nina Kraus at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, children who played musical instruments were better at recognizing different frequencies. This improved hearing skill carried over into later life with adults who had once played an instrument able to discern (分辨)sounds of different pitches more easily. And it could also have some academic benefits too. A study conducted by the University of British Columbia found that students who engaged in music-related activities during grades 7-12 scored significantly higher in science, English and maths.
And there are not just benefits to children. Whether you choose to play the piano, pick or strum a guitar or learn a drumbeat, you could end up joining a band or orchestra. This in turn could improve your social life, meeting other bandmates who are likeminded in their love of a good tune. Learning an instrument can also give you a sense of achievement. Nailing that perfect chord (和弦)is one way, but what if you got together with a bunch of friends and entered into a battle of the bands-and won?
So, whether you’re looking to de-stress playing out some chords, or improve your grades at school, maybe taking up an instrument could help you.
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The music in you
Any party goer can tap her heel to an unfamiliar song without realizing it. Yet when asked on site, she might reply: “Music? I don’t know anything about that.”
Maybe you’ve heard a variation on this theme: “I don’t have a musical bone in my body.” Most of us make music publicly just a few times a year, when it’s someone’s birthday and the cake comes out. Privately, it’s a different story. We belt out tunes in the shower and create rhythm tracks on our steering wheel. But when we think about musical expertise, we tend to imagine professionals who specialize in performance, people we’d pay to hear. As for the rest of us, our bumbling private efforts, rather than illustrating that we share an irresistible urge to make music, seem only to demonstrate that we don’t enjoy essential musical capacity.
But the more psychologists investigate musicality, the more it seems that nearly all of us are musical experts, in quite a surprising sense. A lot of the most interesting and substantial elements of musicality are things that we all share. We aren’t talking about instinctive, inborn universals here. Our musical knowledge is the product of long experience; maybe not years spent over an instrument, but a lifetime spent absorbing music from the open window of every passing car.
In fact, for all its remarkable power, music is in good company. Many of our feelings are governed by a similar rule. We don’t know how we come to like certain food more than others. We don’t know why we fall in love. Yet in the very act of making these choices we reveal the effects of a host of instinctive mental processes. The fact that we respond to music so naturally and normally actually speaks to its strength and universality.
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Since the rise in popularity of MP3 players, working out has been done together with your personal music library. Whether it be running on the street on the treadmill or lifting weights in the gym, it seems every person is wearing a set of headphones when getting up.
We all feel that certain songs help us push that little bit harder but is there any science behind that? And if so, is there a particular type of music that helps you go that extra mile? It turns out, yes. While tiredness is physical during workout, a large part is also about how the brain sees this physical tiredness.
Listening to music while training takes the brain’s concentration away from the tired body. In a sense, it fights for the attention on the fact that the body is “working out”. This leads exercise to be viewed as less tough and makes working out more enjoyable.
The kind of music you listen to can depend on the type of workout you are doing. When running on a treadmill, most people choose a faster pace of 160 beats per minute (bpm).
It also depends on the intensity of the workout and your heartbeat. For example when training starts to get to average intense levels the sweet spot is around the 120-145 bpm mark. For reference, an analysis showed that out of 74000 popular songs produced between the1960s-1990s,120 bpm was the most common. So most songs will do the trick.
What is also worth mentioning is the psychological benefits of music on the individual. You should choose songs that have particular meanings and emotional connections with individuals because they can create encouragement and get people mentally prepared for the challenges This is very important when doing strong workouts or going for personal bests on the big lifts.
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Language is part of our daily lives, no matter where we live in the world. Similarly, music is a part of many people’s lives, whether listening to the radio on your drive to work or playing in a concert. Both language and music play a huge role in our culture and here are some of their similarities.
In English we record language using the alphabet, which is a collection letters. Similarly, we use notes to keep a record of music. Just as you are reading this collection of letters on the screen and find meaning in it, musicians read notes and create meaning in the form of music which we can hear. So just as you read English, you can read music. By writing pieces of text or music, we are able to share experiences through time. I can read the ideas or hear the composition of someone who lived hundreds of years ago, which is really quite exciting.
You can make a good guess at where someone is from by listening to the language they use. In the same way, we know that styles of music are different around the world, giving us the opportunity to explore many different cultures through their music and providing us with music for every situation. This also means that there is something for everyone! Even if you don’t like Britpop melodies (旋律), you may love the energy of Latin American salsa music.
How do you know that I am angry? Of course, you may be able to see it in my face, but you will know for sure through my words. Similarly, music can sound angry, sad or happy. Music can show you exactly how the composer was or is feeling, and allows us to share in that emotion. When you feel happy, you might want to sing and dance to a happy song to celebrate your happiness. In contrast, you have probably also listened to sad music when you were feeling down. We have all used music to express or process our emotions, often combining it with language in the form of song lyrics (歌词).
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“I can't survive without music，” says fifteen－year－old Steve. In the morning, Steve wakes up to his favourite music radio station. He listens to rock on the radio while he eats his breakfast. He puts on his personal stereo before he leaves the house and carries his cassette player on the bus to school.
“Last week I put my headphones on in the maths class，” admits Steve. “The teacher was really annoyed. She took my headphones away and I couldn't use them for a week. It was terrible.” At home Steve does his homework to music—loud music.
“My mother usually shouts, ‘Turn it down！’” says Steve. “She can't understand how I can work with music on, but music helps me to fix my attention upon my studies.” Steve would like to make music himself. “I'm learning to play the guitar. Unluckily, it doesn't sound too good at the beginning. But I'm going to keep practising！”
For teenagers like Steve, music is a very important part of life. Music is social; it brings people together at discos, parties and concerts. Fast, light music is full of energy; it helps people to forget their problems and have fun. Music talks about love, freedom and imagination. There are always new songs and new styles.
Meanwhile Steve's mother agrees that music brings some problems. “Steve is a sensible boy,” she says. “I don't think he would ever take drugs hearing rock. But I do worry about his hearing with all that loud music. And it drives me crazy！”
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Around the world，music therapy (疗法）is being used to treat different medical conditions and illnesses. Some of the ways people use music therapy are to reduce pain, such as in childbirth or during cancer treatments, or to stimulate brain activity after an injury. Music therapy has also been successful in aiding children to overcome disabilities. Children can move their bodies with the music and stamp along to the beat.
Why is music a useful therapy? Being comforting and relaxing，music stimulates our brains. We respond to the sounds of music emotionally and physically. The complexity of music (the different tempos, rhythms，melodies and harmonies) provokes (激发）the biggest response. Thus, classical music is most typically used for therapies due to complex sounds and patterns. Although rap or hip hop might be fun to listen to, ifs unlikely that such styles of music would produce the same kind of therapeutic effect. Playing a musical instrument rather than simply listening to music can also be therapeutic for some people，helping relieve stress and anxiety.
Have scientists been able to prove that music can heal diseases? Music has been shown to reduce pain by increasing the release of endorphins (内啡肽）. Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers, and when we listen to music, our brains respond by releasing these natural painkillers. It has also been known to contribute to the brain development of the babies who have just been born and even babies still in the mother's womb. Certain types of music have also been found to lower blood pressure and slow a person’s heart rate. Many people are hopeful that music could replace the need for some medicines that are normally used to treat certain illnesses. At present, music therapy is used in a variety of settings such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, day cares, and schools.
Although music therapy is not yet considered a mainstream treatment, it is recognized more and more as a useful addition to traditional treatment. So next time you are feeling low or stressed out, put on some relaxing music and let the music heal you.
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On November 18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman's concert, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him. He got polio(小儿麻痹症) as a child, and has to walk with the aid of two crutches(拐杖) now.
That night Perlman walked slowly to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But, suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke, You could hear it break—it broke with a loud noise. People thought to themselves, "He will have to get up to either find another violin or find another string for this one. " But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra began, and he played from where he had stopped. He played with such passion and such power. Of course, everyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing the piece in his head
When he finished, there was a silence in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were all on our feet, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done. He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left.”
His words have stayed in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our task in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left.
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