Do Subliminal Messages Really Work?

The word “subliminal” literally means “below threshold,” and that is the idea of subliminal messages in a nutshell. Subliminal stimuli include any sensory stimuli that an individual takes in without being consciously aware of it.

A visual stimulus is generally quickly flashed in a sequence and is gone before the viewer is fully aware of its presence. Audio stimuli work in much the same way, being introduced to the listener in a masked way so that the message is taken in without the listener being aware of it.

History

Marketing researcher James Vicary was primarily responsible for introducing the idea of subliminal marketing to the American consumer. In the mid-1950’s Vicary used a device called a tachistoscope to very briefly flash messages on a cinema screen. Over the course of six weeks, Vicary flashed two messages: “Hungry? Eat Popcorn,” and “Drink Coca-Cola.” These messages were flashed so quickly that they could only be registered by the subconscious mind. Vicary reported that over those six weeks, popcorn sales increased by over 57 percent and Coca-Cola sales rose by around 18 percent.

Despite the hype surrounding the use of subliminal messages in the advertising industry, initially researchers didn’t place much stock in the idea. Subliminal advertising was written off as something of a gimmick, though it continued to be used to varying degrees. Eventually, the American Psychological Association stated that it saw little chance of subliminal advertising ever being effective.

Hoax

Two decades later, Vicary admitted that the whole experiment had been an elaborate hoax. He had developed the movie theater test as a means of promoting his marketing firm.

Despite the experiment being proved a hoax, the general public was still convinced that subliminal messages worked. The panic over subliminal “brainwashing” took over the minds of the public. Over the years companies have capitalized on this marketing tactic. From fast food companies to political candidates, products and ideas have been promoted using subliminal stimuli.

Effect

Over 50 years later, scientists are discovering that subconsciously received messages can actually have an effect on the brain – and to a degree, on a person’s actions. The studies showed that the messages were particularly effective when the images and words were negative, resulting in noticeable shifts in mood or emotion.

The human mind has often been compared to a computer, and is composed of the conscious and subconscious mind. The conscious mind controls our voluntary actions. It is creative, it reasons and makes decisions and can think of new ideas.

The subconscious mind works like a storage bank, providing the conscious mind with the information it needs to make decisions. The subconscious doesn’t screen information, it just stores it.

Subliminal messages enter the mind below the threshold of consciousness, but are seen, heard, and understood by the subconscious, where they are stored away. In this way, the messages are able to affect our behavior to varying degrees.

Of course, through our conscious mind we are in control of our thoughts and actions. A subliminal message can’t “brainwash” an individual to do something that runs contrary to their personal ideals and values. So while a subliminal message can influence the mind, it can’t force a person to do something that they don’t want to do.