The use of subliminal messages in advertising has been around for a long time, though the public has mostly taken little notice of the practice of using split-second images or subliminal suggestions in ads. For example, it is a widely held urban myth that subliminal messages used in advertisements are illegal in the United States. In fact, the US has no such law on the books.
Other countries, however, do have laws against the use of subliminal content, including India, the United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland, among others. And several recent studies suggest that subliminal content can and does have a very real effect on viewers/listeners.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently published the results of a research trial that confirmed that subliminal messages can influence the attitudes and behavior of voters in the Israeli general election. The study, as reported by the Jerusalem Post, used images of both the Palestine and Israeli flag, which were then flashed for mere milliseconds on a video display being watched by study participants.
While the research showed that none of the experiments participants were aware of seeing a flag on the monitor, their political positions and feelings regarding the Israeli-Palestine conflict changed when presented with the subliminal images of either flag.
Ironically, Israelis who were exposed to a subliminal image of their own flag, became more moderate in their views of the conflict. Palestinians who were exposed to the subliminal Palestine flag also moderated their views somewhat, becoming less extreme in their opinions.
This result was actually the opposite of what was expected. Researchers theorized that when exposed to images of their own flag, the subjects would become more reactionary, and even nationalistic. The study results proved that the subliminal image of their own flag made subjects more temperate and moderate in their political views.
And it is interesting to note that both Israeli and Palestine subjects responded the same to the subliminal “flag-waving.” Both became more open minded about negotiations, and exhibited less nationalistic tendencies.
An additional experiment was conducted prior to Isreals last general election. In this study as well, the subliminal flag image was shown to influence both right-wing and left-wing Israelis, with the effect of “pulling” both of these political extremes toward the center. Subjects who were exposed to the flag expressed an intention to vote for the centrist parties in greater numbers than those who were not exposed to the subliminal image.
During follow-up research, it was established that the subjects who intended to vote for center candidates had indeed voted that way, suggesting that the exposure to the subliminal image may have actually affected their voting behavior, as well as their point of view.
Researchers are uncertain why a symbol of the nation — such as the flag — would cause subjects to moderate their views, but it is clear that the subject of subliminal political persuasion will be studied closely in years to come.
Related Business Directory Categories:
