logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
13m 23s

Why Music Sticks in Our Brains

NPR
About this episode
Why do some songs can stick with us for a long time, even when other memories start to fade? Science reporter (and former Short Wave intern) Rasha Aridi explains the neuroscience behind that surprising moment of, "Wow, how do I still remember that song?!"

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Today
Nature Quest: What Does Climate Change Sound Like?
Feel like summers are hotter than they used to be? It’s not just your imagination. Climate researchers say that average annual temperatures around the country have been trending upwards for the past 50 years — and are still on the rise. But it can be hard to represent those numbe ... Show More
13m 31s
Yesterday
Sea Camp: To Mine Or Not To Mine
Deep sea mining for rare earth elements could start as early as 2026, even as 38 countries have called for a moratorium on it. The metals that companies are targeting are used in many green technologies like electric cars and wind turbines – but mining them is destructive to the ... Show More
13m 17s
Aug 22
Could labs replace your natural chocolate?
Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective. The majority of chocolate farms are found in West Africa and South America – just 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each farm produces chocolate of ... Show More
8m 50s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
How music, memory and emotion are connected, with Elizabeth Margulis, PhD
The right song can make us feel chills, help pull us out of a bad mood, or take us back in time to the first time we heard it. Elizabeth Margulis, PhD, director of the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University, talks about how music, memory, emotion and imagination intertwine; ... Show More
41m 12s
Dec 2023
Pourquoi certaines chansons restent-elles en tête ?
"Maintenant Vous Savez" c'est également deux autres podcasts qui décryptent la culture avec "Maintenant Vous Savez - Culture" et la santé avec "Maintenant Vous Savez - Santé". Quatre fois par semaine, nous vous proposons de découvrir les meilleurs épisodes. Ça nous est déjà arriv ... Show More
4m 35s
Oct 2021
Ep 28: Why songs get stuck in our heads
Why do some songs get stuck in our heads? In this episode, our presenter Ginny Smith explores the psychology of earworms. Ginny hears about the possible evolutionary reasons for why we experience the phenomenon, learns what earworms can teach us about memory — and finds out how t ... Show More
24m 59s
Mar 2023
Why Do We Turn Down the Radio When We're Lost?
Even seemingly passive activities (like listening to music) can interrupt our brains while we're doing something important (like driving). Learn why we're so bad at multitasking in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-th ... Show More
9m 9s
Jul 2022
Why is this song stuck in my head?
You have probably experienced an ‘earworm’ - a catchy bit of music that plays round and round in your head and won’t go away – at least for a short while. But why did it pop up in the first place and how did it get stuck? CrowdScience listener Ryota in Japan wants us to dig into ... Show More
32m 33s
Jul 2023
Why does some music make us sad?
CrowdScience investigates the link between music and emotion to try and understand why certain songs can have such a profound impact on our mood. From breakup songs to upbeat holiday hits, many of us have made playlists that reflect how we feel, whether that’s down in the dumps o ... Show More
35m 7s
Jan 2017
A neuroscientist explains: how music affects the brain
In the first episode of this new podcast, Dr Daniel Glaser asks what effect does music have on our brains? And how can it be harnessed for therapy? 
40m 36s
Jul 2021
Why do songs get stuck in our heads?
You know that feeling where you get a snippet of a song stuck in your head and it loops over and over? Those hard to shake songs are also known as earworms, and in this episode Molly has a particularly sticky one in her brain. We'll find out why some songs are catchier than o ... Show More
30m 55s