Subliminal messages would that really work?

Subliminal messages

What exactly is that, such a subliminal message. Subliminal comes from the Latin words Sub (=under) and Limen (=boundary). So it is a message given below the limit of perception. Consciously you cannot perceive them, but unconsciously you can, and could that have an influence?

James Vicary conducted an experiment in several cinemas in 1957. He showed the words "Drink Coke" and "Eat Popcorn" during a movie and stated at the end of the experiment that Coca Cola sales had increased by 18% and popcorn sales by a whopping 58%! As a popcorn manufacturer you are then of course cheering that you can get an increase in sales so easily.

Many Americans were shocked that this was possible. For example, would the Russians do this too? Are we being brainwashed to become communists in this way? You have to realize that it was 1957 and ideas like that were going through society.

A year later, a Canadian TV station also went to test this idea from Vicary to see if it really worked that way. The TV station reported that they had aired subliminal messages during their program and called 500 people to ask if it had any effect. Yes, people said, we experience more hunger and thirst. They probably thought the TV station had aired 'Drink Coke' and 'Eat Popcorn' as a message. However, it was "Call Now. The number of calls, however, was no higher than normal....

In 1962, Vicary admitted that the results of the experiment were wrong, but the myth had already been created. People already believed in it, but was it right? Couldn't it really be true? After lengthy research, it was discovered that subliminal messages do work.

Subliminal messages that work

The subliminal messages that do work are those that involve:

1. Mere Exposure
2. The Negativity Effect
3. Evaluative Conditioning

Mere Exposure

Mere Exposure means that when you interact with an object more often, you automatically find it more positive. When you move to a new environment it is strange at first and you may even be wary. Every sound you hear and everything catches your eye. After a while, however, it becomes familiar and you feel the same as you did in your old neighborhood.

This makes sense, too, because otherwise you would never be able to get used to anything. So the "mere exposure" effect is highly functional, but would it also work subliminally? In one study, a person sat in front of a white computer screen and subliminally saw a picture of an unknown person. He then had to start discussing with two people, one of whom was the person he had subliminally seen. It was remarkable that he agreed much more often with the person he had subliminally seen than with the other. So subliminally, the "mere exposure" also had an effect.

The Negativity Effect

The negativity effect means that people notice negative or threatening things faster than positive things. This makes sense because you want to notice danger faster because that can keep you alive. Could this also work subliminally?

After research, they found that people were more likely to see negative words than positive ones. They investigated this by again putting people in front of a computer screen and when they thought they noticed a word, they had to press a button. They saw this word subliminally. Interestingly, a negative word was noticed earlier and more often than positive ones.

Evaluative conditioning

When you attach positive stimuli to a neutral object, that object also becomes more positive. That sounds pretty logical, right? A table is a table, but we can make it more positive or negative by attaching feelings, thoughts or experiences to it.

Subliminally it can also be done, because while experimenting with it, it was found that when you subliminally showed positive words with a picture of an unknown person, they also began to appreciate the person more positively. Conversely, the same was true with negative words.

So subliminal messages definitely do work, and that makes sense, because you want to notice danger faster than you might be able to consciously perceive it. Your conscious mind can't notice everything right away, and fortunately then your subconscious mind is there to do notice those things that are important.

Subliminal messages in hypnosis

Do subliminal messages work in hypnosis? Yes, it works and can make your hypnosis more effective. However, please note the following....

What works best

1. Incorporating subliminal messages into therapy (music) and saying what messages they are
2. Saying what messages are in but not giving them subliminally
3. Giving subliminal messages but not saying which ones they are or not saying you are giving them at all

You see it's even better to suggest you give and not give, than to give and not say you give!

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