Dec. 3 2025 | Belen Ponce Leal | Lifestyle Editor
One of the greatest shows of all time, in my opinion, is “Gravity Falls.” In the 17th episode of the first season, one of the characters gets brainwashed into staying with her boyfriend by a song. When one of the main characters, Dipper, plays the song backwards, a message is heard: “You are now under my control. Your mind is mine.” It is unknown where the character got the cursed tape, but that nevertheless opened my mind to the idea that some try to put hidden messages into various types of media.
Definition — The word subliminal, according to Oxford Languages, means “below the threshold of sensation or consciousness.” Subliminal messaging is the act of spreading messages or ideas that fall below the threshold of our conscious awareness. In small terms, it’s a method with which someone could communicate an idea in a barely noticeable way. Some think of it as brainwashing, a way to get people to do or crave something that they wouldn’t normally want. It’s most associated with advertisements as companies try to find a way to make their products more appealing in a subtle way.
History — The history of subliminal messaging can be traced back to the 1940s. They were occasionally inserted into radio, film and television. One example of this was back in 1943, in a Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Daffy Duck, the words “BUY BONDS” flashed on screen. At the time, no one knew whether or not these messages would have an influence on the general public or not. They were just thrown into things to see what would happen.
Then, in 1957, a market researcher named James Vicary declared that flashing the words “Eat Popcorn” and “Drink Coca-Cola” in movies for a fraction of a second would generate more sales of these snacks. After a few years, though, he admitted that he lied about the study. That incident led many to be concerned that people could use subliminal messaging in a manipulative way. The next few decades were then spent trying to figure out if subliminal messaging had any effect at all, with many claiming that the effects of it were completely fabricated. Yet, as more time passed, researchers concluded that there is an effect — it is simply much more subtle than previously believed.
The science — In order for a subliminal message to work its way into one’s brain, it is all about perception. Sometimes, a message can be very straightforward without even being noticed by the person witnessing it. Other times, the intention can only be seen after a second look. Subliminal perception is a field that focuses on the thorough examination of how individuals register information that is beneath the threshold of their conscious awareness. This is a difficult thing to study, as it’s hard to observe what people are unconsciously processing in their minds.
For instance, there are some who believe that the McDonald’s logo was carefully designed to be appealing to customers. Yellow is associated with happiness, while the color red is believed to make a person hungry. When thinking about other food chain coloring, it’s notable that many of them have those two colors somewhere in their logos. A much more extreme claim was that the arches of the logo appear like female breasts, which were intended to attract customers in a subtle, sexual way. While I’m unsure if I believe this claim, it is certain I will never look at the golden arches the same way ever again.
According to an article from the Association for Psychological Science, while subliminal influence on the behavior of people seems theoretically possible, it is only “among people who were already motivated to engage in a particular behavior.” During a study conducted by Johan Karremans, Wolfgang Stroebe and Jasper Claus, they found that they were able to influence what kind of drink the people in their study would attempt to get after they were shown various pictures of Lipton Ice. However, they found that the effects mostly worked on those who were already thirsty.
Modern uses — It is no surprise that the main source of subliminal messaging in the modern age is from advertisements. When subliminal messaging was first introduced in certain ads, it was mostly through flashing images for a split second. Yet, this is hardly used anymore, as most agree it doesn’t have very much of an effect on consumers. Fast food chains, grocery stores, factories and even sponsors use even smaller ways to get a message across to a large group of people. A popular example of a subliminal message would be a barely audible message heard in the background of an ad. It could be something as simple as “Buy now” or “This offer is only available for a limited time.” It drives a sense of urgency, which makes individuals more likely to impulse buy. There is also the way that a certain image is designed that can more lightly influence the way a person looks at it. For instance, the Wendy’s logo has what appears to be an “M” at the collar of her dress, which can look a bit like the word “mom.” This is supposed to make the customers think of home and comfort, the days when we used to rely on our mothers to make the home-cooked meals we loved growing up. It’s intended to play on our nostalgia. The FedEx logo is also another good example. If an individual were to look between the letters “E” and “X,” they would be able to notice the small arrow pointing to the right. It implies that they are quick and will get their packages out to their customers fast.
Honestly, it’s a little impressive how our brains are capable of picking up such minuscule things that we don’t process directly. While subliminal messaging can be ethically questionable, the effectiveness of the actual attempts at doing so seems limited. Still, it is important to really study the advertisement and see if it is really a needed purchase. Don’t let the fear of missing out be the reason to impulsively buy something that’s unnecessary.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu
