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In 1957, an advertising executive from New Jersey announced that
1957年，新澤西州的一位廣告主管宣布
he had convinced moviegoers at a local theater to buy more popcorn using subliminal messaging.
他通過使用潛意識信息說服了當地影院的觀眾購買更多的爆米花。
He claimed that 45,000 moviegoers were exposed to flashes of the words "Eat Popcorn" and "Drink Coca-Cola" on screen during a movie,
他聲稱，4.5萬名觀眾在一部電影的屏幕上看到了“吃爆米花”和“喝可口可樂”這兩個閃動的詞，
with the words appearing and disappearing so quickly that viewers weren't even aware they were there.
這兩個詞非?？焖俚爻霈F消失，以至于觀眾都沒注意到它們的存在。
And as a result, popcorn sales increased an average of 57.5% and Coke sales increased 18.1%.
最終，爆米花銷量平均增長了57.5%，可樂銷量增長了18.1%。
He got a lot of attention for this supposedly-scientific test, because those numbers are huge.
他因這個假想的科學測試得到了很多關注，因為這些銷量數字巨大。
It was every advertiser's perfect fantasy and every consumer's worst nightmare.
它是每個廣告商的完美幻想，也是每個消費者的噩夢。
The idea that we could be constantly influenced by messages we don't even realize we're getting freaked people out.
我們可能經常受到自己沒留意接收的信息的影響，這一觀點把人們嚇壞了。
Except … the whole thing was a hoax.
不過，整件事只是個惡作劇。
It turned out that there hadn't been an increase in popcorn or Coke sales at the theater in question.
事實證明，影院里的爆米花和可樂銷量并沒有增加。
And according to the theater manager, there hadn't been an experiment at all.
而且根據劇院經理的說法，這里根本沒有做過實驗。
But that hasn't stopped us from believing in the power of subliminal messages.
但這并沒有阻止我們相信潛意識信息的力量。
Surveys from 1983, 1994, and 2004 show that
1983年、1994年和2004年的調查顯示，
about three-quarters of people who are familiar with subliminal messaging believe that companies use it
大約四分之三熟悉潛意識信息的人相信很多公司會利用它，
and a majority of those people think that it works.
而且他們大多數人認為它有作用。
Thankfully, research doesn't agree.
幸運的是，研究人員不同意這個觀點。
Subliminal perception is for sure a thing.
閾下知覺肯定存在。
We definitely can react to a stimulus even when we can't consciously perceive it.
我們肯定能對刺激做出反應，即使我們意識不到它。
Which is different from superliminal perception,
它與我們的超閾知覺不同，
things that we do consciously perceive, even if we don't pay direct attention to them, like product placement.
即使我們不直接關注某些東西，但仍會有意識得感知它們，比如產品植入。
The line in between those two is known as the subjective threshold.
這兩者之間的界限被稱為主觀閾限。
Then, below that, there's the objective threshold, the level at which we don't perceive or react to the thing.
然后在它下面還有一個客觀閾限，在這個水平上，我們無法感知事物或對它做出反應。
Subliminal perception research dates back to a book published in 1898,
閾下知覺研究可以追溯到1898年出版的一本書，
when a psychologist was looking to confirm the idea of a so-called "sub-waking self."
當時一位心理學家試圖確認所謂的“潛意識自我”概念。
In a few experiments, he asked about two dozen participants to read numbers or letters on cards.
在一些實驗中，他要求20多名參與者閱讀卡片上的數字或字母。
But he held the cards so far away that they could only see a blur or small dot.
但他把卡片拿得很遠，以至于參與者只能看到一個污跡或一個小點。
When forced to choose, participants could usually distinguish between numbers and letters,
當參與者被迫選擇時，他們通常可以區分數字和字母，
they got it right around two-thirds of the time.
當時他們答對了三分之二左右。
And they actually did better than chance at guessing exactly what was on each card.
他們實際比碰巧猜中每張卡片上的內容做得更好。
All of which suggested that they were perceiving the images on some level,
所有這些都表明他們在某種程度上可以感知圖像，
even though they thought they were just guessing.
盡管他們認為這只是猜測。
A 1951 study in the journal Psychological Review found
1951年發表在《心理學評論》雜志上的一項研究發現，
even clearer evidence by conditioning people to associate certain nonsense words with an electric shock.
通過讓人們適應將某些無意義的詞語與電擊聯系起來，跡象更明顯。
Later, when the words were shown to them too briefly to be consciously seen,
研究人員隨后快速向人們展示了這些詞語，讓他們無暇有意識地看清楚，
the researchers measured greater electrodermal activity for words associated with the shock.
測出了與電擊有關的詞匯會導致他們的皮膚電反應更強烈。
That's a slight change in how well skin conducts electricity, which is associated with sweating.
這是皮膚傳導電流的細微變化，它與出汗有關。
In other words, even though subjects believed they hadn't seen anything, their bodies still anticipated the jolt.
換句話說，即使實驗對象認為他們什么都沒看見，他們的身體仍有預期的震動。
So, we know subliminal perception is real.
所以，我們知道閾下知覺是真實存在的。
But subliminal advertising doesn't really work.
但是潛意識廣告并沒有真正起作用。
Researchers have done plenty of studies,
研究人員做了很多研究，
but no one seems to be able to show any real change in consumer behavior in response to subliminal ads.
但是似乎沒有一個能夠證明消費者對潛意識廣告的反應有任何真正的變化。
For instance, a 1975 study in the journal Perceptual and Motor Skills flashed the words "Hershey's Chocolate" over a movie.
例如，1975年發表在《知覺與運動技能》(perception and Motor Skills)雜志上的一項研究在一部電影中閃現“好時巧克力”(Hershey's Chocolate)字樣。
But the researchers found that none of the 33 subjects given the message
但研究人員發現，33名受試者中沒有一個人受到信息影響，
bought Hershey's in the ten days after the exposure.
在看到“好時”的廣告十天內購買它。
There's one exception, though.
不過有個例外。
A subliminal message can sort of work, but only if you're already motivated to follow it.
潛意識信息可以起到一定作用，但前提是你已經有動力去遵循它了。
A 2002 study of 81 undergraduates found that
2002年一項針對81名大學生的研究發現，
they did drink more water when subliminally primed with words like "dry" and "thirsty"
當他們下意識地被“干”和“渴”這樣的詞進行暗示時，他們確實會喝更多的水
but if and only if they were already thirsty.
但唯一的前提是他們已經渴了。
If they weren't, the hidden messages didn't do anything.
如果他們不渴，那么隱藏的信息沒有任何作用。
In a follow-up experiment in the same study,
在同一研究的后續實驗中，
35 undergraduates were asked to pick between sports drinks described as "thirst-quenching" or "electrolyte-restoring".
35名大學生被要求在被描述為“解渴”或“恢復電解質”的運動飲料中進行選擇。
They were only more likely to prefer the "thirst-quenching" drink
他們可能更喜歡“解渴”的飲料，
if they were subliminally primed with thirst-related words and were already thirsty.
如果他們潛意識被與口渴相關的詞匯所刺激，并且已經渴了的話。
So subliminal messages aren't going to make you do things you don't want to,
所以潛意識信息不會讓你做不想做的事，
but they might nudge you gently in a direction you're already headed.
但它們可能會輕輕地把你推向你已經前往的方向。
It makes sense that subliminal messaging wouldn't drastically impact your behavior.
潛意識信息不會對你的行為產生巨大影響，這是有道理的。
The message is so subtle that it only has a subtle effect.
信息如此渺小，以至于它的影響也很微小。
Which is good, because subliminal advertising isn't technically illegal in the U.S.
這是好事，因為潛意識廣告在美國并不是非法的
While Australia and the U.K. have laws against it, the U.S. doesn't forbid advertisers or networks from using it.
雖然澳大利亞和英國有法律禁止，但美國并沒有禁止廣告商或網絡使用它。
That said, a 1979 Supreme Court case ruled that it isn't protected by the First Amendment.
也就是說，1979年最高法院判例規定它不受第一修正案的保護。
And the Federal Communications Commission's official stance is that it's misleading and shouldn't be used
而聯邦通信委員會的官方立場是，它具有誤導性，不應該被使用。
and they reserve the right to yank the broadcasting license of anyone who does.
而且他們保留剝奪任何人廣播執照的權利。
So nobody likes subliminal advertising; there just hasn't been that much effort put into stopping it.
沒有人喜歡潛意識廣告，只是沒有太多的努力去阻止它。
Probably because in the end, it isn't that useful.
這可能是因為最終它沒有那么有用。
Advertisers don't really care about sneakily targeting people who are already motivated to buy their stuff,
廣告商并不真的關心那些已經有動機購買他們產品的人，
they'd rather invest in snagging new customers.
他們寧愿投資爭取新客戶。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow Psych.
感謝您收看本期的心理科學秀。
If you want to learn about ways your mind can actually be hacked into buying things,
如果你想知道你的大腦是如何被購買欲侵入的，
check out our episode on how restaurants trick you into spending.
請查看我們那期“餐館如何誘導你消費”。
