The Truth About Subliminal Messages

Summary

In 1957, a false claim of increased popcorn and Coke sales via subliminal messaging in a theater sparked fear and fascination with the concept. Despite being debunked, belief in subliminal influence persists. Research shows subliminal perception is real, yet it doesn't sway consumer behavior significantly. Exceptions occur when individuals are already inclined towards the suggested action. Subliminal advertising is not illegal in the U.S., but is discouraged by the Federal Communications Commission due to its misleading nature.

Takeaways

• 🎬 In 1957, a false claim was made about increasing popcorn and Coca-Cola sales using subliminal messaging in a movie theater.
• 🔍 The supposed increase in sales was later revealed to be a hoax, with no actual increase in sales or experiment conducted.
• 🧐 Despite the debunking, surveys show that a significant number of people believe in the effectiveness of subliminal messaging.
• 👀 Subliminal perception is real, as demonstrated by experiments where participants reacted to stimuli they were not consciously aware of.
• 📚 The concept of subliminal perception dates back to a 1898 book exploring the 'sub-waking self'.
• 🔬 A 1951 study provided clear evidence of subliminal perception by conditioning people to associate certain words with an electric shock.
• 🍫 A 1975 study showed that subliminal messages, such as 'Hershey's Chocolate', did not increase sales among subjects.
• 💧 A 2002 study found that subliminal messages could slightly influence behavior, but only if the individual was already inclined to act on it.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Subliminal messages cannot force actions against one's will but can gently encourage actions that align with one's existing motivations.
• ⚖️ While subliminal advertising is not technically illegal in the U.S., it is considered misleading by the Federal Communications Commission and is not protected by the First Amendment.
• 📈 Advertisers generally do not focus on subliminal messaging because it is not effective in significantly altering consumer behavior.

Q & A

What was the claim made by the advertising executive in 1957 about subliminal messaging?

The advertising executive claimed that he had convinced moviegoers to buy more popcorn using subliminal messaging by flashing the words 'Eat Popcorn' and 'Drink Coca-Cola' on screen during a movie so quickly that viewers were not aware of them.

What was the reported increase in sales of popcorn and Coke due to the alleged subliminal messaging?

The reported increase was 57.5% for popcorn sales and 18.1% for Coke sales.

What was the actual outcome of the supposed subliminal messaging experiment at the theater?

The whole thing was a hoax. There was no increase in popcorn or Coke sales at the theater, and according to the theater manager, there hadn't been an experiment at all.

What do surveys from 1983, 1994, and 2004 indicate about people's belief in subliminal messaging?

About three-quarters of people who are familiar with subliminal messaging believe that companies use it, and a majority of those people think that it works.

What is the difference between subliminal perception and superliminal perception?

Subliminal perception is when we react to a stimulus that we can't consciously perceive, whereas superliminal perception is when we consciously perceive something, even if we don't pay direct attention to it, like product placement.

What is the subjective threshold?

The subjective threshold is the line between subliminal and superliminal perception, where stimuli are perceived but not necessarily consciously acknowledged.

What did the 1898 book by a psychologist aim to confirm regarding the 'sub-waking self'?

The book aimed to confirm the idea of a 'sub-waking self' by conducting experiments where participants were asked to read numbers or letters on cards held so far away that they could only see a blur or small dot.

What evidence did a 1951 study in the journal Psychological Review provide regarding subliminal perception?

The study provided evidence by conditioning people to associate certain nonsense words with an electric shock and later showing those words too briefly to be consciously seen, resulting in greater electrodermal activity for words associated with the shock.

Why doesn't subliminal advertising work according to various studies?

Research has shown that no real change in consumer behavior occurs in response to subliminal ads. For instance, a 1975 study found that none of the subjects exposed to the subliminal message 'Hershey’s Chocolate' bought Hershey’s chocolate in the ten days after exposure.

Under what condition can a subliminal message have an effect, as shown in a 2002 study?

A subliminal message can have an effect if the person is already motivated to follow it. The 2002 study found that undergraduates drank more water when subliminally primed with words like 'dry' and 'thirsty', but only if they were already thirsty.

What is the legal status of subliminal advertising in the U.S.?

Subliminal advertising isn't technically illegal in the U.S., although it isn't protected by the First Amendment according to a 1979 Supreme Court case, and the Federal Communications Commission's official stance is that it's misleading and shouldn't be used.