It turns out that just the mechanical act of moving one's jaw up and down can reduce the number of times people think about a catchy song, as well as how often they "hear" that song playing in their minds.
According to The LA Times, researchers found that volunteers who were given chewing gum and instructions to "chew vigorously" after hearing particularly "sticky" music experienced fewer phantom memories of the songs, but not zero.
Still, the researchers say chewing gum is a tactic worth trying if you can't stop singing a song such as "It's a Small World After All" to yourself after a visit to Disney World.
"If you are trying to rid yourself of an unwanted tune, it is less likely to pop up involuntarily when chewing," said Philip Beaman, associate professor of cognitive science at the University of Reading in England, and the lead author of the report.
Tunes that get stuck in your head are known as earworms, and they have been plaguing humanity for a long time.
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