Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans
Published on: March 19, 2014
Guess what? Implicit motivation boosts the influence of subliminal information on choice
Maxim Milyavsky1, Ran R Hassin, Yaacov Schul
1Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. maxim.milyavsky@mail.huji.ac.il
Abstract:
When is choice affected by subliminal messages? This question has fascinated scientists and lay people alike, but it is only recently that reliable empirical data began to emerge. In the current paper we bridge the literature on implicit motivation and that on subliminal persuasion. We suggest that motivation in general, and implicit motivation more specifically, plays an important role in subliminal persuasion: It sensitizes us to subliminal cues. To examine this hypothesis we developed a new paradigm that allows powerful tests of subliminal influences as well as stringent assessments of subliminality. The results of two experiments suggest that implicit motivation can enhance the effects of subliminal priming on choice.
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