[patio11]

De gustibus non est disputandum; there are some things that ruin many people's lives that have no appeal to me, there are some things many people enjoy responsibly that I have learned to stop myself from using because I will not make good decisions over a period of years, and then there was that freaking cat song, which gave me the strongest "WARNING: Your brain is not in control of your response to this song, in a way which is qualitatively different than the usual ways music is moving." when listening to it that I found it remarkable.

[NobodyNada]

> I think if you say the words “my cat” to me when I am on my deathbed I will immediately hum three notes.

The song is currently ruining my life in a very different sense: I keep listening to the song over and over to try to guess which three notes you're talking about, but I can't for the life of me figure it out. Mind clearing that up for me?

(Personally, I definitely see how the song could be perceived as infectiously catchy, but it doesn't seem to do it for me. I think the structure and rhythm are a little too irregular for it to get stuck in my head.)

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

Back in the mid-1990s, I remember a news fluff piece about a woman who claimed to have epileptic seizures in response to hearing Mary Hart's voice (some newstainment journalist/anchor, maybe Entertainment Tonight?). Doctor supposedly confirmed it via experiment (though, now I wonder if the man should've kept his license, seems unsafe).

Earworms are probably the same. Specific either to unique brains, or to particular brain neuro-templates.

[mtlynch]

I thought you were confusing this with an episode of Seinfeld, when Kramer has seizures in response to Mary Hart's voice.[1]

But you're right. This was a real case that Seinfeld must have been referencing.[2]

The doctor, Venkat Ramani, is still active and is the Vice Chair of Neurology at New York Medical College. [3]

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Samaritan_(Seinfeld...

[2] https://web.archive.org/web/20240324001523/https://www.nytim...

[3] https://www.nymc.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/by-name/ramani...

[NoMoreNicksLeft]

I had stopped watching Seinfeld beyond the first season. Had no idea.

Shit, do I always sound like a fool because I am a fool, or just because everything I know has been turned into a sitcom joke that I never found out about?