Why songs get stuck in your head

Tracks from Lady Gaga and Kylie Minogue feature in Durham University's list of 'earworms'

Lady Gaga
(Image credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

A new research paper by music psychologists has delved into the science behind how certain music can become stuck in your head – so-called "earworms".

Dr Kelly Jakubowski, of Durham University, and her team compiled a list of such songs from around 3,000 participants in order to see how they use melody, rhythm and harmony.

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