Subliminal Messages – Use or Abuse?

Many believe that subliminal messages can influence our behaviour and there is evidence that the technique has been used in advertising, music and film. Even the great, Walt Disney Empire has been accused of allegedly incorporating subliminal messages into their cartoons.

But whatever your views on subliminal messaging, it has in fact been around for some time: 1898 to be precise, when it was expounded by E. W. Scripture in 'The New Psychology.' Over the decades, the technique has developed and it was used, for example, during the Second World War to train soldiers to recognise enemy airplanes.

It was an American psychologist, Harry Levi Hollingworth, who suggested that subliminal messages could be used in advertising. The technique seemed to lend itself to increasing desire for a product and, thereby, improving sales. Many experiments were performed, with mixed results, but the general overview is that subliminal messages are effective.

And the use of subliminal messages in music has also received some attention.

In 1985, Dr Joe Stuessy in a statement to the United States Senate believed that heavy metal music could contain covert or subliminal messages. Such messages, considered to be detrimental to the listener, are heard by the subconscious but not the conscious mind. Also, sometimes the messages are audible but are backwards - known as 'back masking' - and this causes the mind to make a special effort to understand it.

Subconscious stimulus by single words is well known to be effective in changing human behaviour or emotions. Psychologists and scientists have been aware of the positive benefits of subliminal messages and used it to improve motivation in business and sports.

Although the use of subliminal messages in advertising, in film and in music has caused some controversy, the advancement of subliminal messaging as a form of therapy has enabled the individual to discover for themselves whether it may improve areas of their thinking and attitudes.

Courses, software and CD's are now available and there is evidence that the personal use of subliminal messages, especially those tailored to the individuals specific need, can prove beneficial and effective.