IEEE BERKSHIRE SECTION - High School STEM Research Challenge 2021
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IEEE
BERKSHIRE SECTION
High School STEM Research Challenge – 2021
Subliminal Messaging and How It Affects Behavior
Written for:
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
Berkshire Section
STEM Research Contest
Emily Steuernagle
205 Longpond Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
March 8, 2021
Mount Everett Regional High School
Grade 9
Tanya MichaudSubliminal Messaging and How It Affects Behavior
The concerns regarding subliminal messaging have been a topic of debate over the last 50
years. With subliminal messaging, you can control the subconscious mind of others, and if done
right, can lead you to change how a person thinks. This form of messaging is everywhere, in
politics, advertisements, articles, and places it is least expected, affecting everyone. When you
have control over the subconscious mind, it affects your everyday behaviors and decisions
without you knowing.
The human mind does not consciously perceive all information. While the subconscious
mind can process “20,000 bits of information simultaneously”, the conscious mind can only
process “7± 2 bits” (Wang). A stimulus detected 50% of the time, reaches the absolute threshold,
or the conscious mind processes the information (Ambardar). The small, harmless stimuli is not
significant enough to be perceived by the conscious mind, but great enough for the subconscious
mind to process. Therefore, weak stimuli detected at 49% of the time or lower, goes to the
subconscious mind (Ambardar). The weak stimuli may be reactions to movement or breathing.
For information to be processed in the conscious mind, it needs to be shown for at least “30-50
milliseconds” (“Evolution”). This allows the brain to react intellectually rather than emotionally
with its response. Messages shown faster than 30-50 milliseconds are processed in the
subconscious mind, allowing the message to have “ an opportunity to influence our behavior”
(“Evolution”).
When words are flashed in front of a consumer’s face at a high speed, the words must
have meaning to inflict a reaction. Subliminal messaging works best when words are used in a
negative connotation. When volunteers were shown positive, negative, and neutral words, their
1/6brains were faster at establishing the words with a negative meaning (“Power”). The brain
notices the emotion that the words invoke and bases the reaction off of the feeling. Being fearful
creates bigger reactions, so using threatening words in subliminal messaging can unconsciously
make behavioral changes in the consumer.
Subliminal messaging comes in three forms, subvisual, subaudible, and backmasking
(Wang). Subvisual messaging is the most commonly used and most effective form of subliminal
messaging. When an image is flashed and a consumer does not consciously see the message, it is
subvisual. This happens in advertisements, or during movies and television shows. Subaudible
messaging can be used in the form of music. Publishers blend the words in with sounds or, use
“low volume audio cues that are inserted into a louder audio source”, slipping messages to the
consumer. Backmasking is “an audio message that is recorded backwards, with the intention of
playing it forward to disguise the reversed message” (Wang).
Subliminal messaging can control the purchase of a product or result of a decision that
was influenced by the message. An experiment in 1957 done by James Vicary, showed a rise in
production after subliminal messages were shown. He flashed two images, one said, “Drink
Coca-Cola" and the other, “Eat Popcorn.” The messages led Coca-Cola sales to go up by 18.1
per cent and popcorn sales by 57.7 per cent in the theater (“What Time''). After this experiment,
questions about subliminal messaging began to rise. Vance Packard also used subliminal
messaging, raising production sales. Packard briefly showed images of ice cream on a movie
screen. Due to the subconscious message, ice cream sales went up (Ambardar).
Publisher's can use subliminal messages to influence consumers to do something they
otherwise wouldn’t have done. In 1985, Judas Priest, a heavy metal band, was accused of
2/6subliminal messaging, in this case, resulting in the two deaths of young adults, Raymond
Belknap and James Vance. The parents of the children accused the band of subliminal
messaging, since the band used words like “do it”, “try suicide”, and “let’s be dead”, in their
songs. The parents said these messages were subliminal and influenced the boys to kill
themselves (Grow).
Subliminal messaging can also be used to motivate and achieve goals. An experiment by
Johan Karremans from the University of Nijmegen, Netherlands showed scientific information
backing up subliminal messaging. In 2006, Karremans and his colleagues flashed the brands
“Lipton Ice'' and “Spa Rood” in front of viewers, to see if they were able to connect the response
from the viewers, to subliminal messaging. The results showed when the message of “Lipton
Ice” was shown to participants, 80% of them chose Lipton Ice Tea to fulfill their thirst.
Participants were given salted candy before the experiment, to make them thirsty, so they were
already craving a drink. If the participants weren’t thirsty the experiment wouldn’t have worked
as well. Subliminal messaging can work as a guide during the decision process but not
completely change initial thoughts (Maarten).
This form of messaging is being used in grocery stores to prevent people from
shoplifting. David Tyler states that “about 50 stores have installed anti-theft messages and they
report stealing is down by 80 percent” (Cohn). The messages are audible but going to the
subconscious mind, since consumers aren’t intentionally listening to the music. This technique
can influence unambitious people to stop and think before shoplifting, giving them a reminder.
With the topic of the subconscious mind becoming increasingly popular, people began to
worry about the control that others had over them. “Even if we look for subliminal messages, we
3/6can’t notice them because it goes straight to our subconscious minds” (Kolenda). With this,
countries around the world have started to ban subliminal messaging. Laws have been set to
control advertisers from using this messaging and targeting groups or people.
Subliminal messaging disrupts the initial decision process in the mind. Some experiments
raise questions about the connection between subliminal messages and behavioral changes, but
scientific information proves them wrong. The power of subliminal messaging can change
society to act a certain way, creating concerns about how controlling this form of
communication.
4/6Works Cited
Ambardar, Rekha. "The effects of subliminal communication in advertising
Messages." News World Communications, Sept. 2017, Gale In Context:
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A504341064/GPS?u=mlin_w_mteverett&sid=GPS&xid
=8009a7d. Accessed 22 Feb. 2021.
Cohn, D’Vera. “Stores use hidden voices to prevent theft.” UPI, n.d., upi.com/Archives/
1984/08/06/Stores-use-hidden-voices-to-prevent-thefts/9779460612800/,
Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.
“The Evolution of Subliminal Messaging and Product Placement.” Popneuro.com, 18
Aug. 2020, popneuro.com/neuromarketing-blog/evolution-of-subliminal-messaging-and-
product-placement-consumer-
behavior#:~:text=The%20Neuroscience%20of%20Subliminal%20Messaging,a%20piece
%20of%20visual%20information.&text=In%20the%20context%20of%20subliminal,wha
t%20your%20consciousness%20has%20interpreted. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
Grow, Kory. “Judas Priest’s Subliminal Message Trial: Rob Halford Looks Back.”
RollingStone, 24 Aug. 2015,
rollingstone.com/music/music-features/judas-priests-subliminal-message-trial-rob-
halford-looks-back-57552/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
Kolenda, Nick. “Subliminal Messages.” Kolenda Group LLC, n.d., Nickkolenda.com
/subliminal-messages/. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
5/6
Maarten.Vannest. “Science Uncovers the truth about Subliminal Messaging.” MeetingDesign Institute, 7 Oct. 2009, meetingdesigninstitute.org/content/science
-uncovers-truth-about-subliminal-messages. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021
"Power of the hidden message is revealed." Independent, 28 Sept. 2009, p. 8, Gale In
Context: Global Issues, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A208552711/GPS?u=mlin_w_
mteverett&sid=GPS&xid=61195903. Accessed 24 Feb. 2021.
Wang, Lucia. “Are You Being Manipulated by Subliminal Messages? [Infographic].”
Visme, n.d., visme.co/blog/subliminal-messages. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.
"What time is the next bandwagon due?" Campaign Middle East, 9 Sept. 2018, Gale
GeneralOneFile,link.gale.com/apps/doc/A553634399/GPS?u=mlin_w_mteverett&sid=G
PS&xid=c5c16805. Accessed 22 Feb. 2021.
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