Six of the best ways to cure an earworm

How do you get rid of a song stuck in your head? Try out these tips for getting an earworm out of your brain.

Published: April 29, 2016 at 11:00 pm

1

UNSCRAMBLE AN ANAGRAM

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

In a Western Washington University study, participants did puzzles to try to cure earworms. Five-letter anagrams worked best.

2

CHEW GUM

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

Three minutes of gnashing on a stick of gum is the cure for earworms recommended by a recent Journal Of Experimental Psychology study. Works for Maroon 5 infections, apparently.

3

USE A ‘CURE SONG’

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

In a 2014 study by PLOS ONE, 12 per cent of participants said they tried to remove their earworms by listening to other songs that wouldn’t stick.

4

REPLACE IT

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

The site unhearit.com claims to help you ‘unhear’ songs by playing you equally catchy ones. Presumably some sort of sick joke...

5

SOLVE SUDOKUS

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

Western Washington University found that sudoku puzzles worked, but only if they were of an optimum difficulty level.

6

JUST PLAY THE DAMN THING

© Acute Graphics
© Acute Graphics

Some people insist that the best way to deal with an annoying snippet of music is to listen to the offending tune in its entirety.