Subliminal self-help audiotapes: A search for placebo effects.

Subliminal self-help audiotapes to aid weight loss were evaluated to determine if their apparent effectiveness is due to a placebo effect. All Ss were female students or staff who were both overweight and believed in the possible effectiveness of subliminal audiotapes. Three different groups of Ss were tested: 1 group listened to subliminal audiotapes purchased directly from a manufacturer, the 2nd group listened to comparable placebo tapes, and the 3rd group did not listen to any tapes at all. Each S in each group was weighed once each week for 5 wks. All 3 groups of Ss lost weight, and the average amount of weight lost by each group was approximately equivalent. These results provide no evidence that regular use of subliminal audiotapes leads to a placebo effect. Rather, the results suggest that regular use of subliminal audiotapes may simply make Ss more conscious of their weight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)