Why Do Some Songs Get Stuck in Your Head?

Discovery

BBC

Science, Technology

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2018

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Two very annoying cases today sent in by listeners to [email protected] to our scientific sleuths, mathematician Dr Hannah Fry and geneticist Dr Adam Rutherford. The Sticky Song Why do songs get stuck in our heads? And what makes some tunes stickier than others? Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate 'earworms', those musical refrains that infect our brains for days. Every morning BBC 6Music DJ Shaun Keaveny asks his listeners for their earworms, and Hannah finds out which tunes keep coming back. Adam asks Dr Lauren Stewart, from Goldsmiths University, to reveal the musical features that make some songs catchier than others. And they find out why, in times of crisis, an earworm may just save your life. The Shocking Surprise Jose Chavez Mendez from Guatemala asks, "Some years ago, in the dry season, I used to be very susceptible to static electricity. I want to know - why do static shocks happen?" The team uncover some slightly unethical science experiments on static electricity from the 1700s. Hannah Fry uses a Leyden Jar to demonstrate how static electricity works with help from her glamorous assistant, Adam Rutherford. Spoiler Alert: it doesn't end well for Adam. They discover what makes some people more susceptible to static shocks, and how bees and spiders have harnessed the awesome power of electricity. Featuring electromagnetism scientist Rhys Phillips and physicist Helen Czerski, author of 'Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life'. Picture: Human Ear, Credit: Techin24/Getty Images Producer: Michelle Martin

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the BBC.
0:03.0	Hello and welcome to curious cases with me, Dr Adam Rutherford.
0:07.0	And me, Dr. Hannah Fry.
0:08.0	Now in this series, we will investigate your everyday mysteries using the power of science.
0:16.1	Yes, so any questions that's been bothering you or just something that has been weighing
0:21.1	on your mind all of your life life you send them into curious cases at
0:24.4	BBC.co. UK and we will get onto it or more specifically our producer Michelle
0:29.1	Martin will do lots of research on our behalf. With our help.
0:33.0	Now later in this series we're going to be looking into how to make the perfect cake,
0:39.2	why do we dream and even a little bit about the speed of light.
0:43.0	But in this episode, we are looking into things that are annoying.
0:48.0	Yes, so in the second half we'll be dealing with, well, the various times that Hannah has tried to inflict some form
0:55.3	of torture or pain upon me. First, though, we have something which you will find very, very
1:00.6	annoying. but I've said before and I will say it again that tune is ridiculously
1:13.2	catchy sometimes I just see it to myself on a loop over and over again.
1:16.8	Yeah it's very earwormy isn't it but it's not just worms in our theme tune today
1:21.2	because earworms have also infiltrated our inbox and
1:25.0	proliferated out of all proportion.
1:27.6	Yeah this is currently our most asked topic including this question sent into
1:31.7	curious cases at BBC.co.
1:33.7	UK by Jeremy Sedgley from Haywoods Heath and he asks...
1:37.3	I have just finished binge listening to all the podcasts of the curious cases of Rutherford
	...

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