Subliminial Messages

"People are exposed to some subliminal stimuli at all times throughout life" (Koponen, 97). A subliminal message is an insufficiently intense message used to produce a discrete sensation by influencing one's mental process or behavior. "Subliminal stimuli range from those just below threshold to those that are infinitely weak" (Koponen, 97). The theory that human behavior can be controlled by messages that bypass conscious perception and operate directly on the unconscious mind in freighting. "Though subliminals still …

…there have been many suggested positive and negative effects of subliminal messages. On occasion the power of one's subconscious mind will override that of the conscious and affect the consumer's actions. "Symbolic values related to these experiences powerfully affect behavior, while conscious awareness of these effects remains repressed" (Key, 263). Subliminals are not prominent stimuli, reason many, but as a consumer and viewer, individuals should attempt to be more conscious of the fact that they exist.