The suit was eventually thrown out, but not before putting the perceived dangers of subliminal messaging front-and-center in the minds of concerned parents across the country. They argued in court that the pair had been driven to commit suicide by auditory signals concealed in Judas Priest’s cover of the Spooky Tooth song, “Better By You, Better Than Me.” The plaintiffs claimed that the song contained a subliminal message – “Do it” – urging listeners to take their own lives. That’s also the irony of it.Belknap and Vance’s families sued Judas Priest’s label, CBS Records, for $6.2 million (approximately $14.2 million in 2017). “But if 25% of the people who listen to these tapes stop smoking, that’s great. “It’s not inconceivable that 20% to 30% of these people could report real improvement, but not for the reasons used by the manufacturers,” he said. “We’ve known for hundreds of years that effective treatments are ones that people believe are going to work,” he said. He also said the placebo effect could account for some of the success stories. Philip Merikle of the University of Waterloo in Ontario said an analysis of tapes made by several companies found that there is no identifiable signal on them that could penetrate the subconscious. Timothy Moore of York University’s Glendon College in Toronto said some of the tapes he has studied apparently contain no hidden message at all. Two Canadian psychology professors who have done independent research call the tapes a health fraud. Tuthill puts warning labels on his weight-loss tapes because, he says, there have been reports from pediatricians that children inadvertently exposed to the tapes were losing weight. The symptoms stopped when the person stopped listening to it.
Tuthill said he has seen a smoker exposed to a stop-smoking tape develop headaches and heart palpitations. “If the message is noxious or contrary to what you want, people have actually developed some bizarre symptoms.” “Theoretically, they could be harmful with forced prolonged exposure,” Tuthill said. Shevrin also says that the tapes could have harmful side effects on some people, an assertion that Tuthill agrees with. Shevrin said that even if there is a behavioral change in some people, it is impossible to trace it to the tapes. “They’re a waste of time and money,” said Howard Shevrin, a University of Michigan psychologist who has been involved in subliminal research for more than 30 years. Many of the companies cite self-conducted studies and point to individual testimonials to back up their claims that the tapes work.Īlthough many respected researchers accept the validity of subliminal perception, they say there is no proof that self-help tapes work. Little independent research has been done in the area of self-help subliminals. Publishing companies such as Simon & Schuster, Random House and Bantam Books have recently devised their own versions. The 60-minute tapes, most of which provide scripts of their messages, are prominently displayed near self-help books in national bookstore chains. In recent years, it appears, millions of consumers have brushed aside the diabolic connotations associated with mind control and the comparisons to “Brave New World” to plunk down between $10 and $40 for something that promises to be a shortcut to solving problems and breaking bad habits. Subliminal messages have been raising eyebrows since the 1950s, when it was reported that by flashing “Eat Popcorn” during a movie, theatergoers rushed for the concession stand, unaware they had been subliminally persuaded. There are even tapes for children designed to build their self-esteem and to encourage them to stop bed-wetting.
The subjects range from weight loss and improving sex-two of the biggest sellers-to controlling spending habits and becoming a better bowler. Mind Communication offers about 300 titles by direct mail. Hundreds or even thousands of subliminal suggestions lurk beneath the soothing music or the sound of ocean waves on an audio cassette or behind the nature on a videotape, they say. The premise is that people do recognize information presented below the normal threshold of awareness, manufacturers say. of Grand Rapids, which claims to be the biggest, and Midwest Research Inc. Two competitors are also based in Michigan: Potentials Unlimited Inc. Mind Communication, which reported sales of $3.5 million for 1989, is one of several companies in the self-help tape industry, which takes in an estimated $50 million a year.
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