Science Forums 2

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Subliminal techniques work, I have no doubt about it. Indeed they work all to well and it will be difficult to avoid them being increasingly exploited to control society.

Ironically, the reason they can be so effective is that they work due to mechanisms that have helped survival. Much as hunters and fishers are exploiting the survival behaviour and instincts of their prey, using bait for instance, malicious parties can exploit survival mechanisms to manipulate us. Degree of success varies amonst targets but the effect is there and it is typically strong.

Why do parents make pss-wss-wss sounds when they want a child to pee? They exploit the relic of an old animal instinct to urinate where there is a flow of water that can carry the smell away, with a survival value for some animals. Sometimes the stimulus is partly cultural, Paplov demonstrated that the mechanism can be acquired.

Subliminal simply means that the stimulus is recieved but hardly noticed, nothing mysterious about that, nothing to be skeptical of. Quite simply, the mechanism can work at least as much and often even more. This is because it doesn't rely on conscious thought but on automatic reaction and, in some cases, the former can interfere or even reduce the effect.

As for the use of sex, I disagree that it is used less on male targets than on female targets. It is used in different ways, sure, and of course subliminal means less noticeable. Many a guy wouldn't be caught dead reading consultance in a magazine about how to please a girl better, it just ain't cool, a guy's suppos'ta just be cool and not need to learn how. A guy would typically be less afraid of the embarassment of being seen with porn. Seeking advice about sports or DIY is OK. Anyway, regarding advertising, I've seen models used for hardware or even plumbing products. Anything positive helps to sell any type of product or service. To the guy target buying underware, a sexy male model is less positive than in the female case, while a cool male model might be quite another matter.

BTW, does anyone here have an idea of why it became traditional to pop bottles of champagne, or similar wines, as a way of celebrating something?