Finally, a scientific cure for 'LSS' 

Scientists from Western Washington University have just discovered a way to combat “earworms” —more popularly known to Filipinos as “last song syndrome” or LSS.  The method may even eventually be used to prevent intrusive thoughts caused by obsessiveness and anxiety.

 

LSS or earworms are songs or melodies that are easy to hum or sing along to that get stuck in one's head. More of a nuisance than a disease, earworms are actually interesting examples of how music is automatically connected to memories: these songs easily enter the consciousness mainly because most of the tasks that we do automatically —like walking or eating— don’t take much cognitive effort. 

 

This leaves a lot of room for other thoughts, like songs or earworms. Most researchers agree that there’s no consensus on what kind of songs become earworms, but they do agree that LSS can be triggered by a lot of factors, including regular exposure to the song —the reason why LSS are often popular songs; knowledge of the lyrics; and stress levels. 

 

It turns out that the trick to getting rid of something that occupies your mind incessantly, like LSS, is to replace it with something that’s just as engaging, like puzzles or a good book.

 

Dr. Ira Hyman, a music psychologist and his team tested gathered volunteers and exposed them to a wide variety of popular songs from the Beatles, Lady Gaga and Beyoncé while solving mazes in order “link” the music to their memory and make LSS more likely to occur on the following day. The volunteers were then asked to solve puzzles like Sudoku or Anagrams to determine whether these activities can reduce the recurrence of LSS.

 

Hyman's team discovered that the puzzles have to have the right amount of difficulty to stop LSS in its tracks. ““The key is to find something that will give the right level of challenge,” said Dr Hyman. “If you are cognitively engaged, it limits the ability of intrusive songs to enter your head.”

 

“It is like a Goldilocks effect – it can’t be too easy and it can’t be too hard, it has got to be just right. Likewise, if you are trying something too hard, then your brain will not be engaged successfully, so that music can come back. You need to find that bit in the middle where there is not much space left in the brain. That will be different for each individual.” — TJD, GMA News