TikTokers ‘gaslight’ themselves with subliminal videos

TikTokers eager for more positive social media content are now turning to “subliminals” — a new genre of videos that play affirmations hidden under the beat of an electronic song. The mantras, which supposedly enhance everything in your life, from better confidence to clearer skin, are meant to transmit positive messages subconsciously to the listener.

Messages include: “I am a money magnet,” “I am so happy and grateful that money flows to me easily,” and “I release all blockages to abundance.” Sometimes the hidden messages are stamped on the video, while others don’t reveal the explicit affirmation within.

Whether or not TikTokers actually pick up on those messages is still up for debate, but videos hashtagged “subliminal” have so far racked up almost 600 million views on TikTok. 

Subliminals — or “subs” — emerged at the start of the pandemic out of TikTokers’ desire to address, and even counteract, the many well-known “toxic” effects of social media. The problem is so acute that Instagram chief Adam Mosseri testified in Congress in late 2021 to address his platform’s alleged abuses. 

Subliminal content creator @pillaroflighttarot has earned nearly five million likes with her spiritual posts, and insists her viewers can hear her posts’ positive messages loud and clear.

“What [subliminals are] supposed to do is rewire your subconscious mind to really believing your affirmations. Hence manifesting,” she explained in a TikTok titled “Subliminals 101.”

One follower commented on her post: “I have listened to subliminals for 1 year and they changed my life honestly.”

Said another: “I’ve been using subs for clear skin and with little to no products my skin is so so so much better so subs works.”

Subliminal TikTokers tend to focus on a specific category, such as “slimming down,” “feeling more confident,” and “appearing more attractive to others.” The TikToker @imoonkiss, who boasts nearly 50,000 followers, posts about female empowerment, while @lolabvnni, with 77,000 followers, posts about “feeling hotter.”

TikToker Mei Higashi, known by her 100,000 followers as @awhmalfoys, admitted subliminal videos won’t “magically” change her followers’ lives. “They will not transform or alter someone’s entire life immediately after listening,” she said. The goal, she said, is to help viewers tap into their own potential for self-change.

“These affirmations touch on the Law of Attraction,” which suggests that with positive thoughts come positive results, Higashi said, “and may aid the listener in encouraging their brains to accept certain thoughts.”

In short, it’s all about the power of positive thinking. “Subliminal content is one piece of how I’ve learned to adopt a mindset that cultivates self-improvement.” she added.

But what do the experts say? Do subliminals actually work?

Dr. Wendy Boring-Bray, a counselor and therapist based in Mission Viejo, Calif., said “subliminal messages can have a positive effect,” but added that “the person receiving the subliminal message has to be willing to receive it.”

Boring-Bray said, “you can’t make somebody believe in something they choose not to believe in…the key to having a subliminal message work is tapping into the individual that wants to believe it will work for them.”

Savannah Rae Böhlin, who has 178,600 TikTok followers, agreed. “You’re basically tricking yourself into believing something new,” she said. “Using subliminals is almost like gaslighting yourself.”