Subliminal messaging is an interesting topic in psychology. It has been the centre of several controversies and conspiracies over the years, making it a popular topic to discuss and debate. The way it works is that a subliminal signal (either auditory or visual) that would not normally be processed by the conscious mind is received and unconsciously processed by the subconscious. They have the power to evoke an emotional response without a person even realising it.

There has been quite a lot of debate about their use in advertising, especially in theatres during the 50s. The image is transmitted briefly, so fast that your conscious mind cannot process it, but it is seen by the subconscious. It is claimed that these were used in cinemas to encourage people to buy popcorn and soft drinks, but the claims have been falsified since. It is a fascinating topic, and one that we can go into further as we explore the effects of subliminal messaging.

How is it used?

Subliminal messaging is primarily used in advertising, and sometimes in illusionary performances. It is designed to try and make a person think or feel a certain way. Often this is in order to make them feel more inclined to purchase something, or perhaps even alter their opinions (such as in illusionary performances). It is used in several areas, both within and outside of advertising. 

There have been instances where subliminal messaging has been used in television or cinema commercials to try and get people to buy more products. An example would be for Lipton’s Iced Tea, where they used subliminal messaging to make people who felt thirsty already want to buy the drink. It had a positive reaction. A popular cartoon also used the same concept and showed Coca-Cola cans and other soft drinks, which also caused a reaction in those already feeling thirsty. 

Subliminal messaging can also be used to try and cause people to feel certain emotions. By using sad, happy, or even sexual imagery in a poster or advert can have an effect on the way people feel due to the subconscious recording the emotion that you are seeing. Emotional stimuli can have a deep effect although this is commonly more effective when used on women as opposed to men. 

It is commonly used in self-help and diet and fitness tapes as well. By using keywords (such as ‘think of yourself as thin and fit) or even just the concept of things like an improved confidence and self-esteem, it can have positive effects on the subconscious. While the conscious mind is saying that this is ridiculous or won’t work, the subconscious is absorbing this information, which often leads to positive effects in people.

It has even been used in films as a form of ‘easter egg’. In the film Seven, Gwenyth Paltrow is shown for a split second before one character shoots the other. This is completely missed by the conscious mind, but the subconscious picks it up, and we may feel as though we remember seeing her there later.

What are the benefits of subliminal messaging?

The benefits of subliminal messaging are on a personal level more than anything else. It is very possible that this practice can lead to behavioural modification over time (due to the benefits listed below), but this is a result that is still hotly debated. There are professionals who believe that a change in behaviour is a direct result of subliminal messaging, and also those that see it as a sort of placebo effect. Some of the personal benefits are as follows:

• Enhanced learning abilities. There is evidence to show that subliminal messaging can help improve learning speed and memory capacity. 
• A positive attitude and outlook, a way of reprogramming a person’s way of thinking. 
• Understanding the root cause of a fear or phobia.
• Help losing weight, gaining self-confidence, and relieving stress.

These are all very possible effects of subliminal messaging on a person, and so it shows us that it has uses beyond advertising. Subliminal messaging is an easy way for people to let new thoughts enter their unconscious mind, because there is no effort involved and the images are so fast that it does not give you time to judge the content as your conscious self does not even see it. 

What are the facts and evidence?

Subliminal messaging is illegal in several countries, including the UK. In the 1950s, it was thought that subliminal messaging was being used to persuade people to buy coke and popcorn from the food stand. A book was published about it, and one of the cinema’s boasted that their sales had increased due to the messages. This was all discovered to be fabricated, but not before it was made illegal to use them due to wide-spread fear from the general population, and the media telling people it would be used to control their minds. 

There are some valid studies for subliminal messaging, however, and these show us the results from various research papers and practices to see how much of an effect these messages have on our minds. Although a 2011 psychology journal (‘Journal of Consumer Psychology’) believes that the idea of subliminal messaging can definitely be feasible and work, but only if it is goal-relevant. They were behind the experiment with the Lipton Iced Tea, where those that were already thirsty found themselves wanting the advertised tea, and 71% of participants ended up choosing the tea over the alternative soda option. 

In 1986, a psychologist named Kaser did a study for audio subliminal messaging. The message was mixed in with the music, and two groups were formed. One was given the mixed tape, and the other one with just the music on it. Before the test, they were asked to do a drawing, and they were then asked to draw another immediately after listening to the tapes. When the drawings were examined, those who had listened to the tapes with the subliminal message mixed in had drawn pictures that contained hidden content from the tape. Kaser concluded that the mind can ‘hear’ things which we cannot perceive to be heard. 

In 1979, around 50 department stores started using subliminal messaging in their audio systems across the store to try and reduce shoplifting. Stores reported great savings as a result of lack of thefts, ranging from a few thousand dollars all the way up to $600,000 over a nine-month period. TIME magazine did an excellent report of this interesting case. 

When emotional stimuli were presented to people by the psychologist Shevrin in 1975, there was no change in their emotional state when the stimuli were shown to them in a conscious manner (one where the conscious mind can see and read it clearly). However, when presented in an unconscious form, there was a notable change in the participant’s emotional state, thus showing that the subconscious mind can pick up on subliminal stimuli and react in the same way that the conscious mind might.