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Musical hallucinations, musical imagery, and earworms: A new phenomenological survey
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Musical hallucinations, musical imagery, and earworms: A new phenomenological survey

Peter Moseley, Ben Alderson-Day, Sukhbinder Kumar and Charles Fernyhough
Consciousness and cognition, Vol.65, pp.83-94
10/01/2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.009
PMCID: PMC6204882
PMID: 30077016
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2018.07.009View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Musical hallucinations (MH) account for a significant proportion of auditory hallucinations, but there is a relative lack of research into their phenomenology. In contrast, much research has focused on other forms of internally generated musical experience, such as earworms (involuntary and repetitive inner music), showing that they can vary in perceived control, repetitiveness, and in their effect on mood. We conducted a large online survey (N = 270), including 44 participants with MH, asking participants to rate imagery, earworms, or MH on several variables. MH were reported as occurring less frequently, with less controllability, less lyrical content, and lower familiarity, than other forms of inner music. MH were also less likely to be reported by participants with higher levels of musical expertise. The findings are outlined in relation to other forms of hallucinatory experience and inner music, and their implications for psychological models of hallucinations discussed.
 Psychology Psychology, Experimental Social Sciences

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