Why Is The Tune Of Jingle Bells So Addictive?

[TBRS1]

The psycho-musical answer is that it uses simple and highly predictable patterns of notes.

"Simplicity" makes the pattern clear, and "highly predictable" provides a sense of mental satisfaction as unconscious predictions as to "what will happen next" pan out.

These two things also make it extremely annoying to people who have a preference for complex music that surprises.


Also, it's usually played in the key of "C" - the happy key, and uses the Ionian mode - the jolly mode.

 

[MROSS]

Honestly, I find a lot of Christmas Music to be obnoxiously catchy - not just Jingle Bells.

LINK: Why is holiday music catchy?

 

[AGXStarseed]

LINK: Why is holiday music catchy?

Even Goku (or rather the "TeamFourStar" version of Goku) considers Christmas music to be "Obnoxiously Catchy".

 

[velociraptor]

Does anyone else come up with alternative versions (sometimes sung aloud and others just cycling in your head)?

Yeah, Enter Sandman. Sorry, not a fan of any X-mas music.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

No CD player. This is more my style of Christmas music lol :

You are probably one of the people who like the song, Vincent the Christmas Virus.