Welcome
你被一首歌洗脑过吗？它们现在仍在你耳边嗡嗡作响吗？快来全方位了解一下这位“洗脑专家”——耳虫。
"洗脑专家"——耳虫
“Earworms” are unwanted catchy tunes that repeat in your head. These relentless tunes play in a loop inup to 98% of people in the western world. For two-thirds of people they are neutral to positive, but the remaining third find it disturbing or annoying when these songs wriggle their way into the brain’s memory centers and set up home, threatening to disrupt their inner peace.
"耳虫"，即音乐幻听，是一种在你脑中循环播放，你却不得不接受的洗脑曲调。在西方，高达98%的人体验过这种没完没了的感觉。其中，有三分之二的人觉得这种感觉"一般般"或"挺不错”，但剩下的三分之一的人认为，当这些歌曲慢慢进入大脑的记忆中心，并在那里"安家立户"，扰乱他们内心的平静时，他们会感到不安和烦躁。
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What predisposes to earworms?
耳虫——你从哪里来？
In order to get stuck in your head, earworms rely on brain networks that are involved in perception, emotion, memory, and spontaneous thought. They are typically triggered byactually hearing a song, though they may also creep up on you when you are feeling good, or when you are in a dreamy (inattentive) or nostalgic state. And they may also show up when you are stressed about having too much to think about. It’s as if your stressed-out brain latches onto a repetitive idea and sticks with it. Also, if you have a musical background, you may be more susceptible to earworms too.
耳虫依附于大脑中涉及感知、情感、记忆和自发思维的神经网络，并以此在你脑中牢牢扎根。它们通常由你听到的一首歌触发。不过，当你感觉很好，或者处于神游、怀旧状态时，他们也会悄悄地出现。而且，若你思虑过多，耳虫亦会上身。就好像你紧张的大脑陷入一个重复的想法并不断循环。此外，如果你有音乐背景，那更容易受到耳虫侵扰。
Certain personality features also may predispose you to being haunted by a catchy tune. If you are obsessive-compulsive, neurotic (anxious, self-conscious, and vulnerable), or if you are someone who is typically open to new experiences, you may be more likely to fall prey to an earworm.
如果你是个患有强迫症，神经质（焦虑，自我意识和脆弱），或者总想尝试新事物的人，这些性格特征更可能让你成为耳虫的"猎物"。
Why might earworms be good for you?
耳虫——小小耳虫益处多？
There is a particular characteristic of music that lends itself to becoming an earworm. In contrast to our daily speech, music typically has repetition built into it. Can you imagine how absurd it would be if people repeated themselves in chorus? Yet, though repetition of speech is associated with childishness, regression, and even insanity, in the case of music it may signify a process that becomes pleasurable when it is understood through repetition. Also, each time music repeats, you hear something subtly different. This learning may constitute one of the positive aspects of earworms，contributing to clear thinking and creativity.
音乐之所以容易引起耳虫，是由于它的特殊性。不同于我们日常讲话，音乐是具有重复性的。你能想象如果人们齐声重复自己的话会有多荒谬吗？然而，尽管言语的重复可能意味着孩子气、退步甚至疯了，但对音乐而言，当人们一遍遍重复着去理解它时，这就是一件愉快的事。而且，每次音乐重复，你都会听到一些细微的不同。这可能是耳虫的带来的一种积极影响，有助于构建清晰的思维和提升创造力。
Are earworms ever worrisome?
耳虫——你该为之担忧吗？
Not all “stuck songs” are benign. Sometimes they occur with obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychotic syndromes, migraine headaches, unusual forms of epilepsy, or a condition known as palinacousis — when you continue to hear a sound long after it has disappeared. Persistent earworms (lasting more than 24 hours) may be caused by many different illnesses,such as stroke or cancer metastasizing to the brain.
并非所有的“洗脑循环”都是良性的。当你持续不断地出现幻听，就有可能患上强迫症，精神病综合征，偏头痛，少见的癫痫，或一种名为听觉持续症的疾病。超过24小时的持续性耳虫可能由许多不同的疾病引起，如中风或转移到大脑的癌症。
（ps：Palinacousis is derived from the Greek words palin, which means again or anew, and acousis, meaning hearing. Palinacousis源自希腊语palin（重音或新音）和acousis（听觉）。）
How do you get rid of earworms?
耳虫——离我远点！
If you’ve had enough of your earworm and need to stop it in its tracks, you would be well warned not to try to block the song out, but rather to passively accept it. A determined effort to block the song out may result in the very opposite of what you want. Called “ironic process” and studied extensively by psychologist Daniel Wegner, resisting the song may make your brain keep playing it over and over again.
若你已经受够了耳虫并想要摆脱它，那最好不要试图抵抗，而要被动接受它。一味的抵抗可能会适得其反。心理学家丹尼尔·韦格纳对此进行了广泛研究，他称之为“反讽过程”：一味抵抗可能会导致耳虫加剧。
Some people try to distract themselves from the song, and it works. In one study, the most helpful “cure” tunes were “God Save The Queen” by Thomas Arne and “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club. It is commonly believed that earworms occur when you remember only part of a song; hearing the entire song may extinguish it.
一些人试图分散自己的注意力来达到消灭耳虫的目的——事实证明这招管用。一项研究表明，治愈耳虫最有用的曲调是托马斯·阿恩的“God Save The Queen”和文化俱乐部的“Karma Chameleon”。人们普遍认为，当你只记得一首歌的一部分时，就会出现耳虫；而听到一整首歌便有可能消灭它。
Other techniques found to be helpful include those from cognitive behavioral therapy, such as replacing dysfunctional thoughts like “These earworms indicate I am crazy” with “It is normal to have earworms.” A less intuitive cure for earworms is chewing gum. It interferes with hearing the song in your head.
其他一些有用的方法包括认知行为疗法，比如试着用“有耳虫是正常的”来代替“这些耳虫表明我疯了”的想法。再者，嚼口香糖来分散注意力也是疗法之一。
Conclusion
In most cases, earworms are neutral to pleasant, not serious, and may even be part of your brain’s creative process. In a few cases, especially when they continue for more than 24 hours, earworms may indicate something more serious. In those cases, seeing your primary care physician may help you metaphorically take the needle off the stuck record so that you can regain your peace of mind.
在大多数情况下，耳虫是不好不坏，甚至令人愉悦的，情况不太严重，甚至可能是你大脑发挥创造力的过程。在少数情况下，尤其是当它们持续时间超过24小时，那可能说明问题有点严重了。若真是这样，那就去看看医生，他们也许能"拨动卡住的唱针"，让你的脑子安静下来。
所以，现在的你在哼着哪首歌呢？
编译 | 陈语姝
排版 | 陈语姝
