negative words

Negative words

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HealthDay

Sat Oct 31, 11:48 pm ET - Yahoo News 1 Nov 2009

Subliminal messages are most effective when

they have negative words, English researchers say.

Subliminal messages are images shown so quickly

that viewers don't consciously "see" them, according

to background information in the

University College London study.

It included 50 volunteers who were shown a series

of words on a computer screen. The words appeared

for only a fraction of a second, much too briefly for

the participants to consciously read them. The words

were either positive (for example, cheerful, peace,

flower), negative (murder, despair, agony), or neutral

(box, kettle, ear).

As the words were displayed, the participants

were asked to choose whether they were positive,

negative or neutral. Their choices were most

accurate when responding to negative words.

"There has been much speculation about whether

people can process emotional information

unconsciously, for example pictures, faces and words.

We have shown that people can perceive the emotional

value of subliminal messages and have demonstrated

conclusively that people are much more attuned to

negative words" study leader Professor Nilli Lavie

said in a Wellcome Trust news release.

"Clearly, there are evolutionary advantages to

responding rapidly to emotional information.

We can't wait for our consciousness to kick in if

we see someone running towards us with a knife

or if we drive under rainy or foggy weather conditions

and see a sign warning 'danger,'" Lavie said.

The findings, published in the journal Emotion,

have implications for the use of subliminal marketing

in advertising and in public service announcements,

such as safety campaigns.

"Negative words may have more of a rapid impact,"

Lavie said. "'Kill your speed' should be more noticeable

than 'Slow down.'

More controversially, highlighting a competitor's negative

qualities may work on a subliminal level much more

effectively than shouting about your own selling points."

More information

For more on the workings of the brain, see

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke