Mythbusters Brainwashing Episode

[gregi696]

I don't know if anyone else here is a fan of the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters, but last night the did a show about brainwashing devices. I guess it is quasi related to hypnosis. One interesting point is that they isolated a test subject and projected different kinds of subliminal messages into the room, including the hidden voice. (The voice is played under another noise so that the voice isn't heard.) Well, they found that it did not have any effect. Anyone esle see the episode? Any thoughts on these findings?

[deathjdstn]

i love the mythbusters i watch the repeat of the week on the weekend so i will catch that episode this weekend and let u know my thoughts i watch it every week :)

[sandy82]

Gregi696, what other details did the Mythbusters give about their test? Was the subliminal message repeated a number of times on only one day...or did the 'Busters run it with the same human guinea pigs for a week or a longer period?

It struck me recently as I was watching the evening news that, up to a point, drug manufacturers and automobile companies benefit from the ads of their competitors. The drug manufacturers, en bloc, convince the viewer that he's sick. Then it's a small matter to make him believe that it's either prostate enlargement or toenail fungus. The important threshold is convincing the VictimImeanViewer that he NEEDS medication. That process goes on day after day after day.

Same thing with car ads. Toyota and Buick and Kia and Mercedes all benefit from implanting the message that you need to go deeper into debt in order to impress your neighbors. (Gregi696, I remember your car, and I know that you're more or less immune to these sorts of appeals. So am I.) That too takes days or weeks or months. Then it becomes a question of which SUV you need, while gasoline goes above three bucks per gallon.

I'm sure you see the parallel. My guess is that the makers of Mythbusters didn't run the subliminal message for as long as the program's sponsors run their commercials.

I don't know if anyone else here is a fan of the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters, but last night the did a show about brainwashing devices. I guess it is quasi related to hypnosis. One interesting point is that they isolated a test subject and projected different kinds of subliminal messages into the room, including the hidden voice. (The voice is played under another noise so that the voice isn't heard.) Well, they found that it did not have any effect. Anyone esle see the episode? Any thoughts on these findings?

[gregi696]

They did not test anything long term. The one with the message, where they were seeking a specifc result, was "touch your nose." The other attempts they did used patend pending devices that are said to affect brainwaves. To measure that, they used an EEG.

One device used pulsed air that was supposed to increase stimulation in a part of the brain that leads to anxiety. Another included a rotating magnetic bar that was supposed to have the same effect as the pulsed air. Neither of these showed any results on on the EEG.

Lastly they tried a "hypnotising machine" that used a flashing light and pulsating sound that graudually slowed down. This last one did show a change in the EEG. The overall activity went down during exposure to the noise and light.

[sandy82]

Sounds like an interesting series of tests.

I'm not surprised that the last one worked. Bright flashing lights are one of the primary means for measuring brain responses via EEG. One bank of lights aimed toward the left eye, the other toward the right.

It would be a big surprise if that particular test didn't work.