Why a Song Gets Stuck in Your Head

You hear a song for ten seconds in a supermarket.

你在超市里听到一首歌，只有十秒。

Three days later, it's still playing in your head!

三天后，它还在你脑子里循环！

Sound familiar? Scientists call it an earworm.

是不是很熟悉？科学家把它叫作“耳虫”。

Surprisingly, almost everyone gets them, every single week!

出乎意料的是，几乎每个人每周都会遇到！

And it's usually not the whole song.

而且通常不是整首歌。

Ugh, just one tiny bit of the chorus, over and over!

唉，就是副歌里的一小段，一遍又一遍！

So why does this happen?

那为什么会这样呢？

Your brain hates things that feel unfinished.

大脑讨厌没完成的感觉。

When you only hear part of a song,

当你只听到一首歌的一部分，

it keeps looping it, trying to complete it.

它就会不停循环，想把它补完整。

Oh, and catchy songs make it even worse!

哦，洗脑神曲会让情况更糟！

Simple melodies, lots of repetition, and one surprising little jump.

简单的旋律、大量的重复，再加上一个出人意料的小跳音。

So, how do you make it stop?

那怎么才能让它停下来？

Believe it or not, try chewing gum.

信不信由你，试试嚼口香糖。

Chewing uses the same parts of your brain as silent singing.

咀嚼用到的大脑区域和默默唱歌是一样的。

Or just listen to the whole song, right to the end.

或者干脆把整首歌听完，一直听到最后。

Then your brain can finally let it go. Ahh, silence!

这样大脑终于能放下了。啊，清静了！