I would like to express gratitude to the contributors of this research project and express gratitude towards JBurns for admitting me to the team. I
would also like to apologize to the team for not contributing sooner and wish to correct my neglect of the scholar title I have yet to earn.
From the goals categorization in the initial post..
This will be done through familiarizing all members of the team with the background of subliminal messages[snip]
I know that there is still a lot of speculation on whether or not subliminals can even work, much less the relevance of their inclusion within our
popular media…..as such, I have decided to bring a bit of background to the table…
Originally posted by JBurns
(Study) Subliminal Message Responses
A group of psychologists conducted a study on 17 university students, to examine their reactions to subliminal messages. The findings concluded that
people with different types of anxiety disorders were affected more by subliminal messages, than people without an anxiety disorder.
With this information, I think it's quite possible that the creators of subliminal messages are targeting people with emotional/anxiety disorders, or
perhaps even putting the messages in products used more frequently by those type of people.
I would like to begin by offering comment on the study presented by JBurns. The subliminal study actually demonstrates
how and
why
subliminals are effective. They are persuasive because they appeal to a base instinct, such as fear or the sex drive. Remember the? To associate a
certain product with a base drive is the key. And to understand this we need to take a closer look at how the brain works. I will return to this
reference later on in my post, for I believe that the implication of it has yet to be addressed fully…..
The initiation of a subliminal is obviously made through one of five avenues,
‘seeing’ as the body interprets physical stimuli through one of the five senses. Sight and Sound are the most often used because of their primary
usage in the hierarchy of the senses. An interesting online test can help give you an indication of the response time for each, in conscious time.
This will also help set up our later discussion on subliminals and their effectiveness by showing you just how fast our conscious perception and
subsequent reaction is……the difference isn’t much.
www.explorelearning.com...
Now to address why subliminals work on a physical level…. It has already been established that the likelihood of a subliminal being effective is
based on the emotional reaction evoked, or the base instinct appealed towards. The two polar opposite reactions are Fear and Sex, or more
specifically, Lust. These are two base instincts, instincts that drive the survival of any given organism…..including humans. Fear allows the body
to know of danger so that action can commence, Lust is the emotional trigger that necessitates procreation. Without either of these , our species
would be extinct. As such, they are the easiest and most common themes used for immediate reactions……..
because the brain has evolved to
respond immediately to these types of stimuli
The Amygdala’s Purpose
If you remember only one word about the amygdala, the word is FEAR. The amygdala is the nucleus responsible for the lurch you feel in your stomach
when you turn around in a dark alley and notice someone following you. It couples a learned sensory stimulus (man in ski mask in alley = danger) to an
adaptive response (fight or flight). On the basis of this information, you should be able to guess the primary inputs to and outputs from the
amygdala.
Inputs: the amygdala must get sensory input, and it must be fairly highly processed input to recognize the elements of a scene that signal danger.
The association areas of visual, auditory, and somatosensory cortices are the main inputs to the amygdala.[my emphasis]
thalamus.wustl.edu...
Definition of Somatosense
Noun 1. somatosense - any of the sensory systems that mediate sensations of pressure and tickle and warmth and cold and vibration and limb position
and limb movement and pain
www.thefreedictionary.com...
The inclusion of somatosense in this particular post is obligatory only, since it isn’t necessarily feasible for a literary or broadcast media to
stimulate on this level, however, if we were to broaden this topic to include
every type of subliminal and it’s use towards human
interaction, then we would be able to lay a foundation for aspects of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming)
The amygdala is the middleman between perception and action. It is a part of the brain where perceived sensory stimuli go to be interpreted. Based
on the interpretation is how the body lends itself towards action……I don’t want to get completely stuck in explaining the physiological
mechanics of how our brain works with our body, but suffice to say that most people don’t get a euphoric reaction to a situation that is
threatening……btw, thrill seekers do not receive a rush of euphoria until
after the experience. So with that realization that the brain
does indeed distinguish the type of situation (noting that information being conveyed is apart if not the whole situation), we can say that the brain
is able to make this distinction immediately…a look at the speed of synaptic communication…
Keep in mind that the brain is capable of receiving and processing data instantaneously. The brain is doing this all the time, not just in situations
where fear and sex are involved. The key to understanding why we as a species don’t readily identify this in our daily lives is arguably a result
of how structured and routine our lives have become. If I say a time of day and a day of the week, chances are you could tell me with a high degree
of accuracy what you’ll be doing the next time that combination rolls around……this level of organized routine allows you the ability to focus
more on details. Think about it. How many times are you going to concentrate on the physical movement to work, around work, and back home again
before the scenery and environment become old hat? You aren’t going to need to expel any higher cognitive function towards these factors because
you have already stored them in your brain as memory. The details and ever changing subtleties are where your concentration is going to
focus….especially social cues. And there are literally millions of details that are ever-changing……the devil is in the details.
The amygdala is also involved with mood and the conscious emotional response to an event, whether positive or negative.
Scientists traditionally think of the amygdala as the part of the brain that processes reactions to fear. But some researchers think it may
help us to focus our attention on any emotional cues - be they fearful or provocative. Hence, a larger amygdala might boost the likelihood of a sexual
trigger leading to arousal, Reutens suggests.
The amygdala is unlikely to account for sex drive on its own, Pfaus adds. It is intimately linked to other brain regions, including the hypothalamus,
which sets off physical responses to arousal,[snip]
www.nature.com...
Outputs: the amygdala must be able to control the autonomic system, to provoke such an instant sympathetic response. The main outputs of the amygdala
are to the hypothalamus and brainstem autonomic centers [snip]
thalamus.wustl.edu...
The amygdala has been shown to be responsible for the recognition of stimulus that provoke a fear response…as well as the recognition of other
emotive situations that influence the mood of an individual. The above quote highlights what the amygdale does with the information…it’s
information is shared with the parts of the brain that control autonomic response ( the activity of an individual that is performed without conscious
influence) and the hypothalamus, which is a huge sub center for the regulation of neuro-chemicals that determine the mood of an individual, as well as
having a hand in the sexual desire.
The point here is that the amygdala is inherently attenuated to the sensory perceptions and is designed to provoke an instantaneous
response……sensory perceptions include peripheral stimuli….peripheral being on the bridge of conscious recognition. Which is really a short step
from subliminal….
On the hypothalamus:
In the anatomy of mammals, the hypothalamus is a region of the brain located below the thalamus, forming the major portion of the ventral region of
the diencephalon and functioning to regulate certain metabolic processes and other autonomic activities. The hypothalamus links the nervous
system to the endocrine system by synthesizing and secreting neurohormones often called releasing hormones because they function by
stimulating the secretion of hormones from the anterior pituitary gland — among them, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). The neurons that
secrete GnRH are linked to the limbic system, which is very involved in the control of emotions and sexual activity. The hypothalamus is also the
area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger and thirst, and circadian cycles.[my emphasis]
en.wikipedia.org...
Note the statement within the above quote that is typecast in bold and italics…..the hypothalamus helps to bridge, in terms of communication, the
part of the body that feels and the part of the body that is concerned with the physical manifestation of these feelings….movement, which in turn
can be connected with physical action for whatever reason, though the chemical reactions of the limbic system provide much of the motivation for these
actions. These motivations and actions do vary with every individual, but it is pertinent to realize that every individual contains the same basic
drives……an important concept when referencing the effectiveness of subliminals.
What I have done thus far is show on a physical level how the brain segments certain stimuli and how some of the processed data is reacted to by way
of neuro-chemical response.
All of this is done on an ‘unconscious’ level. How you feel about a situation or a particular concept is
influenced by your past experience. That is the unconscious aspect. The conscious aspect is what you decide to do with it once you have identified
the process in your behaviour. A large majority of our population is unaware of the how’s and whys of their physical body. As such, they confuse
conscious and unconscious reactions…..but that is a different thread.
How does all of this relate to subliminal messaging? Our brain has evolved to instantly recognize and determine the composition of any given
situation to identify the need for action. When someone is in imminent danger, they will react accordingly. The interesting world of subliminals
isn’t to specifically get you to perform a task or directly order you to buy a certain product. The intent is to arouse in you a basic reaction
that then gets associated with the specific content of the ad, or message, or fill in the blank media carrier. Every time you have been provoked into
a specific hormonal release, your brain has attached that specific combination to the mechanical stimuli that were in proximity. This is the
principle of association coming into play and it is a major reason why our brains work so efficiently…..
Now, the fact that subliminals are usually working to provoke a simple physiological reaction is what makes them so inconsistent. People throughout
society have developed varying levels of tolerance and self-control, either intentionally or unwittingly. Certain environmental factors may also lend
themselves to the undermining of a subliminal. For example, if someone has just recently gone through a major break-up with a significant other, then
a subliminal based on the provocation of lust may have less of an impact. Likewise to fear, if an individual has encountered any type of physical
discipline, or personal awareness. Subliminals work better when an individual is more attuned to the specific theme of the subliminal. To re-visit
the study presented by JBurns, it was found that people prone to anxiety were more likely to respond to fear inducing images. What this suggests
isn’t necessarily that the marketing powers that be are directly concentrating their material on anxious individuals,
rather it suggests strongly
the level of correlation needed between individual and message.
To address a concern that I encountered in another ATS thread,
Originally posted Byrd
If it worked, there wouldn't be a need for the thousands of (expensive) marketing research studies done each year. Advertisers wouldn't care.
They'd just throw out the subliminals, knowing you would buy.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
This thought took a bit for me to work out…..but it actually makes perfect sense. If the market is saturated with advertisements, then the mind
will gradually become used to them. There is usually no need precipitated in the average mind to affront the advertising stimulus on any logical
point. Thus, it is only a one way interaction. Which means the same principles apply, just on a lesser scale because the consciousness will be more
likely to recall it. Which is where the big budgets come in…..and the concept of semi-subliminal. Semi-subliminal is more or less directing the
attention towards an aspect of the ad while having a less discernable point. In print ads, it can the inclusion of a popular figure (direct
attenuation) and the intentional compare and contrast of Fonts and background color (less discernable).
Also….consider the fact that if the market is saturated with advertisements, the likelihood of directly and consciously assimilating
all of
them is not very plausible…because people are usually engrossed in various other activities as well…..thusly, a case could be made in my
opinion that direct and obvious advertisements can actually become subliminal…..think background T.V. while doing the dishes, etc……
In conclusion of this post…..I lament the lack of time I have to be a more productive member. But I intend to add a bit more information by way of
brain responses as well as some analysis of some subliminal situations. The human consciousness is a very fluid entity and as such the concept of
subliminal manipulation should not be discounted immediately…indeed…it is highly probable that the, “wham bam thank you ma’am,” pace of our
society allows for many obvious encounters to actually register under the conscious cloak…..
[edit on 13-9-2005 by MemoryShock]
[edit on 13-9-2005 by MemoryShock]