Earworms support memory processes
Earworms can be annoying. However, the phenomenon indicates that music plays a role in consolidating episodic memories. It helps to activate the corresponding memory processes.
Autobiographical memories can be closely linked to music. However, the mechanisms by which associations between music and non-musical knowledge are initially formed and consolidated in long-term memory are not yet fully understood. In experiments, a Californian research team has investigated the connection between earworms and memories evoked by music.
The experiments indicate that the recall of musical fragments serves as a consolidation mechanism for both the music and the associated episodic information.
Original article:
Kubit, B. M., & Janata, P. (2021). Spontaneous mental replay of music improves memory for incidentally associated event knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001050
