If you have ever felt insecure about your physical traits, you’ve probably heard of subliminals before. Subliminals are YouTube videos that convince people (usually teenage girls) that they can fix their insecurities by listening to said video every day.
For example, the first result when you search subliminal on YouTube is “ultra powerful weight loss subliminal [listen once]” by user kapetsu. The description claims that listeners need to listen to the video at least once a day for results to show. These videos often play music or rain sounds and have inaudible positive affirmations recorded in the background.
The lengths and requirements of these videos can vary, the longer ones being up to 10 minutes long. These demand that the listener replays the video multiple times throughout the day. It is recommended that the listener is not preoccupied with schoolwork or chores while listening, or else it would be harder for the subliminal to take effect.
Another common trend in the subliminal community is the usage of subliminal boosters, which are usually in the same length range as other subliminal videos. However, their purpose is to increase the effect of the other subliminals being listened to.
These are often intended to be detrimental towards mental and physical health, and can range from “I am ugly,” to as disturbing as “I am going to kill myself.” Channels like Mind Power and Rose Subliminals have been caught uploading negative affirmation subliminals and have deleted their accounts since then.
I learned about subliminals through Shane Dawson’s video, “CONSPIRACY THEORIES & SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES” when I was 14 years old. I struggled with accepting and loving myself, and felt that the videos would fix me. I listened to about 2 hours worth of videos every day for nearly 6 months, and proceeded to give up when nothing changed. People who claim subliminals work typically say that they had to listen for a year to get their desired results.
While there is no actual evidence of the audio being able to actually change DNA other than first-hand claims, it has been proven to benefit work ethic and mindset. Physical health is heavily impacted by mental health, so even if listeners only have improvements in their well-being, it is likely that they would look happier and healthier as well.
I have grown as a person since my 14-year-old self loathing episode. I love myself, and I would not change a thing about me! Even though I did not have the best experience with subliminals, I do believe they can be helpful for positive thinking and mental health.
The part of the subliminal community that I believe should not be supported are the videos that claim listeners will become anorexic or have model-like features. These are blatantly targeting teenage girls and leeching off of their insecurities. The people watching the videos are desperate, and it breaks my heart to see them how I once was.
If you are curious to see if subliminals will affect you, I will not stop you! As long as you avoid negative affirmations and keep your physical and mental health in check, stream to your heart’s content. Try not to listen to superficial ones for 6 months like I did, because trust me, it will not get you anywhere.