That one song that you listened to three days ago is still stuck in your head. You’ve tried a million things but can’t seem to stop humming the same tune. Your friends are starting to go insane because now it’s stuck in their heads. Then all of a sudden it’s gone! Wonder why you get songs stuck in your head? The answer is not that your brain loves singing. Well, it might, it’s your brain.

Turns out that our brains automatically want to finish a song as soon as we hear part of the lyrics. Songs trigger the auditory cortex part of our brain so we feel the need to sing along. Studies have found that women, musicians, and people who are neurotic, stressed, or tired tend to get songs stuck on their heads more often. So, as teenagers we are prone to getting songs stuck in our heads all the time.

The common thought that we get songs that we hate stuck in our heads is not entirely true. Most of the time the songs that we get stuck in our heads are just songs that are upbeat, catchy, and unique. So, if a song you hate is repetitive and catchy, then chances are you’ll be belting out the chorus in no time.

Experts aren’t exactly sure why we get songs stuck in our heads but sophomore Justin Kuey has a theory. “I think its because they’re catchy, or remind you of something or someone, whether or not you’re conscious of it or not. Like there’s people that I’ll remember a song when I see them just because a memory is connected with it.”

Although experts have some different theories, the most popular being “earworms” which are not little parasites that crawl into your ears and lay musical eggs in your brain. Earworms basically cause a “brain itch” meaning that there is a need for our brains to fill in the gaps in a songs rhythm. Similar to the way that our brains jump to a conclusion about what a word is even when we only see part of it.

Other theories are that the songs stuck in our heads are like thoughts we are trying to suppress. The harder we try not to think about it, the more we do. Our bodies have similar reactions to things that we are told we can’t do; we automatically want to do exactly that. Other experts believe that the songs are just a way to keep our brains busy; because once we start doing something else that occupies our attention we tend to forget about the song.

Speaking of getting songs out of our heads, you can do a few things to help get that tune unstuck. Switch to an activity that keeps you busy, try working out (if you are that motivated), do schoolwork, play videogames, or watch tv (both of which requires the least amount of work). You could also try listening to the song all the way through, which works for some people, or try listening to the song on repeat until you get tired of it. Try listening to another song, or share the song with a friend but then they might hate you for getting it stuck in their head so don’t be surprised if you get a few death stares as you walk down the hall after trying this one. Finally, my favorite, imagine that the earworm is a real thing climbing out of your ear and stomping on it. That sounds slightly creepy but hope that helps your musical problem!