<p>It sounds like you are describing an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">earworm</a>, which is a piece of music that repeats in your head even though it is not actually playing. This is a rather common occurrence, and matches your experience of it happening only with songs you're familiar with, and especially so for repetitive songs. What makes songs get stuck in your head is not fully understood, but research has shown that has to do both with qualities of the song (certain melodic elements, intervals, tempos and repetitions are more likely to be earworms), as well as qualities of the listener (having a musical background, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and being in a non-focused mental state increase likelihood of experiencing earworms).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-29T14:46:26.273Z
While naming the issue is useful, the question is really about what causes ear worms.
StrongBad
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-31T18:16:09.080Z
I don't think that it is an earworm. I sometimes have to inspect the radio to check whether it is turned off or turned down and it feels like I am still hearing the music. It doesn't feel like I am imagining the music. With an earworm, I have an instinctive sense that I am imagining the music and not actually hearing it.
Angela Pretorius
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-03-29T14:14:00.393Z
2019-03-29T15:09:49.303Z
2019-03-29T15:09:49.303Z
Nuclear Hoagie
<p>Related question: <a href="https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/8450/aftereffects-of-auditory-adaptation/8457#8457">aftereffects of auditory adaptation</a></p>

<p>When the radio is turned off in the middle of a song, sometimes I can still hear the song playing very quietly for tens of seconds after the radio has been turned off. It happens for repetitive songs that I have heard many times before. A couple of friends said that they have never experienced this, so there are presumably considerable differences between individuals in susceptibility to this illusion. </p>

<p>What causes this illusion? </p>

<perception>
what causes this auditory persistence illusion?
Angela Pretorius
# what causes this auditory persistence illusion?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-03-28)

Related question: [aftereffects of auditory adaptation](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/8450/aftereffects-of-auditory-adaptation/8457#8457)

When the radio is turned off in the middle of a song, sometimes I can still hear the song playing very quietly for tens of seconds after the radio has been turned off. It happens for repetitive songs that I have heard many times before. A couple of friends said that they have never experienced this, so there are presumably considerable differences between individuals in susceptibility to this illusion.

What causes this illusion?

**Tags:** perception


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2019-03-29. Score: 1

It sounds like you are describing an [earworm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earworm), which is a piece of music that repeats in your head even though it is not actually playing. This is a rather common occurrence, and matches your experience of it happening only with songs you're familiar with, and especially so for repetitive songs. What makes songs get stuck in your head is not fully understood, but research has shown that has to do both with qualities of the song (certain melodic elements, intervals, tempos and repetitions are more likely to be earworms), as well as qualities of the listener (having a musical background, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and being in a non-focused mental state increase likelihood of experiencing earworms).

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: While naming the issue is useful, the question is really about what causes ear worms.  
> **username_0**: I don't think that it is an earworm. I sometimes have to inspect the radio to check whether it is turned off or turned down and it feels like I am still hearing the music. It doesn't feel like I am imagining the music. With an earworm, I have an instinctive sense that I am imagining the music and not actually hearing it.  

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