Earworms refer to catchy tunes that run repeatedly through a person's mind. Empirical literature regarding earworms is scant; however, some researchers have conceptualized the phenomenon as an unwanted intrusion in the context of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The current study expands upon past research by characterizing the experience of earworms and examining associations of earworm-related distress and interference with theoretical constructs of interest, including obsessive beliefs and experiential avoidance. Two hundred forty participants completed an online survey regarding the experience of musical obsessions (e.g., duration, frequency, distress) and related theoretical constructs (e.g., experiential avoidance) of interest. Descriptive results regarding the frequency, duration, and associated distress and interference of earworms are presented. Furthermore, results reveal that experiential avoidance is a unique predictor of earworm-related distress and interference. Results suggest that interference and distress due to earworms may be related to attempts to suppress them. Study conclusions, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

中文翻译：

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困在我的脑海中：音乐痴迷和经验回避。

耳虫是指在一个人的脑海中反复运行的朗朗上口的曲调。关于耳虫的实证文献很少；然而，一些研究人员将这种现象概念化为强迫症背景下的一种不必要的侵入。当前的研究扩展了过去的研究，通过表征耳虫的经历并检查耳虫相关的痛苦与干扰理论结构之间的关联，包括强迫性信念和经验性回避。240 名参与者完成了一项关于音乐痴迷体验（例如，持续时间、频率、痛苦）和相关理论结构（例如，体验性回避）的在线调查。关于频率、持续时间、并介绍了耳虫的相关困扰和干扰。此外，结果表明，经验性回避是与耳虫相关的痛苦和干扰的独特预测因素。结果表明，由耳虫引起的干扰和困扰可能与试图抑制它们有关。讨论了研究结论、局限性和未来研究的方向。