Before we can answer the question how do subliminal messages work we must learn a little about subliminal messages. What are subliminal messages, and do they work at all?
The only kind of subliminal message that has been proven to work involves showing very brief text or a simple picture to an audience so briefly they do not consciously perceive it. Other kinds of subliminal messaging has been tried, but there is no evidence that it has any effect. Flashing anything longer than a word or two, or playing recorded speech backwards doesn’t work.
Subliminal means the same thing as subconscious. Showing someone an image for just a few milliseconds is so fast that they can not consciously perceive it. They do perceive it subconsciously, and this perception can effect their behavior.
Several studies about subliminal messaging can help us understand how it works. In one experiment subjects were shown the name of a soft drink for a very short amount of time. Afterwards they were more likely to choose that drink than the control group who had not received the message. In another experiment subjects were shown the word “beef.” Surprisingly, this did not cause them to prefer beef afterwards, but it did make them hungrier than the control group.
There are now companies that market subliminal messages as a way to increase your health or self esteem. They sell tapes that have audio messages recorded backwards. Studies have not shown this to have any effect on the users’ self esteem.
Is there any danger in subliminal messages? Not really. Subliminal messages are not used on TV or in movies, but even if they were, it still would not be dangerous. Subliminal messaging can only provide a slight change. It might influence your choice of what brand to buy, but it couldn’t make you do something against your will. No subliminal message could make you do something you would never do otherwise.
For more about the secret to how subliminal messages work check out how to make subliminal messages on your computer.
Here is what we recommend for learning hypnosis. The best self hypnosis products we've come across are by Dr. Mike Mandel. Get them here recordings.
For learning how to do hypnosis (including covert or conversational hypnosis), I recommend Igor Ledochowski.
To see our entire list of hypnosis downloads visit this page
