A recent study has found conclusive evidence that subliminal messages can be delivered and recognized under certain conditions. The study, led by Professor Nilli Lavie from UCL, showed that information of negative value is better detected than neutral or positive value. For instance, a danger warning would more likely be detected than a trivial remark about the weather.

The Study and Results

Professor Lavie and his colleagues screened a series of words, each for only a fraction of a second, with 50 participants guessing whether the words shown were of positive, neutral or negative value. The results showed that words such as pain, fear and murder were much better recognized than neutral or positive words, even though participants claimed no conscious recall of what types of words they were seeing.

How Does Subliminal Messages Work?

The findings of this study point to theories from evolutionary psychology pertaining to the benefits of being able to rapidly respond to negative information in the environment, such as detecting a dangerous predator when it is barely in sight. In such situations, detecting a faint stimulus, even on a non-conscious level, could mean the difference between life and death. Human ancestors who possessed this trait would of had increased survivability, thus propagating the trait to current day humans. In modern times, this trait has been exploited by manipulating frames in a motion picture to trigger a subconscious reaction in the viewer. Lavie’s study has shown that this technique may work with single words flashed on a screen.

How Can Subliminal Messaging Be Used?

Lavie’s study has many implications for those who wish to harness subliminal messaging. On road signs, for instance, it would be much more effective to write ‘Speed Kills’ than ‘Drive Safe’. Although drivers are unlikely to focus their attention on every sign that they pass, they may detect their meaning subliminally, on an emotional level. Those in the field of health psychology could use such messages to increase public safety without being overly intrusive.

For commercial advertising, an ad could use subliminal messages to state negative information about a competitor, as positive information about the advertiser would generally be ineffective. This brings up a torrent of ethical implications, which social scientists and policy makers are sure to explore.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of subliminal messaging has long been debated, with many critics saying that such methods of communication are practically useless; but Lavie’s breakthrough study has shown otherwise. The question now, is how such communication can be used responsibly and how to prevent misuse of subliminal messaging, especially in popular media channels such as television and the Internet. This is a domain for psychologists, ethicists and those who are involved in shaping public policy to monitor. In the mean time, it never hurts to be aware of the hidden potential of subliminal messaging, if only to remain on guard.