subliminal

[ suhb-lim-uh-nl ]

adjective

, Psychology.

1. existing or operating below the threshold of consciousness; being or employing stimuli insufficiently intense to produce a discrete sensation but often being or designed to be intense enough to influence the mental processes or the behavior of the individual:

   a subliminal stimulus;

   subliminal advertising.

subliminal

/ sʌbˈlɪmɪnəl /

adjective

1. resulting from processes of which the individual is not aware
2. (of stimuli) less than the minimum intensity or duration required to elicit a response

Derived Forms

• subˈliminally, adverb

Other Words From

• sub·limi·nal·ly adverb
• nonsub·limi·nal adjective
• nonsub·limi·nal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of subliminal¹

First recorded in 1885–90; sub- + Latin līmin-, stem of līmen “threshold” + -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of subliminal¹

C19: from Latin sub- below + līmen threshold

Example Sentences

This may not be a surprise given that we often come across terms such as “subliminal advertising,” which implies that we are guided towards making consumer choices in ways that we don’t have any control over consciously.

From Singularity Hub 

So we may argue that our poor breakfast choice was down to subliminal advertising.

From Singularity Hub 

The more interesting aspect around this controversy is that people still believe, as has been shown in recent studies, that methods such as subliminal advertising are in use, when in fact there is legislation protecting us from it.

From Singularity Hub 

Take one provision against “subliminal techniques beyond a person’s consciousness in order to materially distort a person’s behaviour” in a way that could cause psychological harm.

From MIT Technology Review

At the same time, the film’s primary setting lends itself to a craftily subliminal observation about public and private identity.

From Washington Blade

Just the subliminal nature of being on stage and making a declarative statement rather than a passive one.

From The Daily Beast

Although his first song was played on loop for months, the subliminal messaging in ‘Free Loop’ fell on deaf ears.

From The Daily Beast

Subliminal ends up surveying a wide expanse of the psychology landscape, some parts of it more interesting than others.

From The Daily Beast

Can there be any rational reason for such subliminal fear of a house without a door?

From The Daily Beast

Indeed, that urge was more of a subliminal whisper from her past.

From The Daily Beast

It was a new kind of inspiration, of that strange "subliminal uprush" which made the mystery of his life.

From Project Gutenberg

There has been talk for some years about unconscious facts, about sub-consciousness, subliminal consciousness, etc.

From Project Gutenberg

It must be traced in the literature of automatisms, hypnosis, divided personality, and the "subliminal."

From Project Gutenberg

She felt within her some shy subliminal renewal, as silent yet as implacable as the insidious first workings of spring.

From Project Gutenberg

But usually the subliminal self is considered as purely automatic.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• psyche

About This Word

What is a subliminal message?

A subliminal message is a technique used in marKEting and other media to influencE People without theiR bEing Aware of what the messenger is DoING.

This may involve the use of split second flashes of text, hidden images, or subtle cues that affect the audience at a level below conscious awareness.

Where did the term subliminal message come from?

Subliminal comes from the Latin sub limen, literally “below the threshold,” in this case meaning below the threshold of conscious awareness.

Fast forward to the early 1900s when a theology journal spoke of subconscious thought as “subliminal mentation.”

Then in the 1940s, psychologists began to consider external subliminal stimuli, wondering if things unnoticed consciously by a subject may still affect their behavior. It continued to be a subject of interest to psychologists into the 1950s.

As interesting as the topic may have been for psychologists, it proved even more intriguing to advertisers who saw an opportunity in influencing behavior for fun and profit. In 1957, an ad man named James Vicary claimed he could increase concession sales at movie theaters by flashing messages like “Drink Coca Cola” or “Eat Popcorn” for a frame at a time during a movie. Vicary claimed that popcorn sales at the theater went up 18%, while Coke sales shot up 57%.

While Vicary just wanted to make a quick buck, some were scared that the technique could be used for brainwashing. Vicary was even asked to test the messages before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress. The only result? His “eat popcorn” message seemed to make Senator Charles Potter want a hot dog.

As it turns out, Vicary’s claims were a hoax. He had made up the results to drum up business for his ad agency. Of course, that didn’t stop advertisers from trying to use subliminal messages or keep the public from worrying about them.

By 1959, we can find evidence for the specific phrase subliminal message, first used in reference to Vicary’s scam. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, experiments with subliminal messaging continued without much clear evidence the practice worked.

In 1973, Husker Du, not the punk band but the board game, stirred up another subliminal messaging controversy. A TV commercial for the game flashed the message “Get It” faster than the unaware viewer could see. The FCC investigated the matter and issued a public notice that subliminal messages are “contrary to the public interest.” The Husker Du controversy seemed to coincide with renewed interest in subliminal messages that has continued into present day.

Despite the FCC’s claim, some have attempted to use subliminal messages for the public good. In 1978, a local news channel aired a subliminal message aimed at the Bind Torture Kill serial killer, urging him to “Call the [police] chief” and turn himself in. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. In the 1980–90s therapists tried to develop subliminal systems for sending positive affirmations to patients’ minds.

Controversy around subliminal ads arose again during the 2000 presidential election. A campaign ad for George W. Bush briefly flashed the word rats in large text before showing the full word bureaucrats.

Once again, the FCC became involved. The commission’s official statement pointed out that, although it still considers subliminal messages “contrary to the public interest,” it has no enforceable rules regarding their use.

Psychologists have continued to study subliminal messaging, with recent studies suggesting that it may in fact work, but if it does, the effects are subtle. One study, for example, found that flashing an image of Lipton iced tea may prime someone to choose the drink over water, assuming they were already thirsty.

How to use the term subliminal message

Despite (or because of) their unsettling reputation, subliminal messages have been a ripe subject for humor. In the 1980s and ‘90s, Kevin Nealon performed a character called Mr. Subliminal on Saturday Night Live. He would pepper his speech, including news updates, with snide or suggestive comments quickly slipped in.

In a 2001 episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, Spongebob tries to use subliminal messages to get his pet snail Gary to take a bath. After SpongeBob tells Gary “I am now going to assault your mind with subliminal messages,” the screen shows images of a shower head, a bar of soap, and inexplicably a girl with pigtails and a missing tooth. The scene was often modified on YouTube, replacing the final image with other strange images or scenes.

Sprite parodied the idea of subliminal messaging with its mid 2000s “Sublymonal” ad campaign (and lemon-lime pun) that featured flashing green and yellow images and the tagline “Obey.” The ads encouraged viewers to use their DVR’s pause feature to see the hidden images.

Subliminal messages are naturally a topic of fascination for conspiracy theorists who seem to find them everywhere.

Social-media posts that describe a person’s behavior without addressing that person are sometimes called subliminal messages, subliminal statuses, or, on Twitter, subtweets. These subliminal posts aren’t really subliminal as much as they’re just passive-aggressive.

In everyday speech and writing, sometimes people refer to any message or action with a subtext or hidden agenda as subliminal messages.

More examples of subliminal message:

“The concept Hall describes certainly matches the aesthetic of the video. It should almost carry a seizure warning with the amount of flashing lights and subliminal messages it contains. Hall splices brief glimpses of old cartoons and wartime footage with moments of Mutilation Rites performing into a video for a shackled viewer.”
—Cody Davis, Metal Injection, July 2018

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.