Why does a song become popular?
Psychologists have uncovered the secrets of pop chart-topping singles by exploring the patterns of rhyme and lyrics in popular songs.
The study found that songs with more readable lyrics and more saturated rhymes are more likely to be loved and popular by the public.
The results of the study, published in the journal Psychology of Music, show that these characteristics are closely related to how easily the human body processes information.
it is for humans to process information, for example, easier-to-read fonts make people better able to carry out certain instructions.
Previous research has shown that processing fluency is closely related to purchase intention and perceived product quality.
This concept was used to study more than 270 songs that were in the top five of the weekly UK pop charts between 1999 and 2014.
Scientists used a computer to assess the processing fluency of lyrics by rating their readability, rhyme saturation (degree of rhyming) and complexity.
The researchers found that songs with higher rhyme saturation and readability of lyrics reached higher positions on the charts, but there was no significant relationship with the length of time the songs were on the charts.
The study suggests that readability and higher rhyme saturation of lyrics are associated with short-term peaks in popularity, while not significantly associated with long-term popularity.
