Subliminal audios

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A common claim in the subliminal community is the ability to change physical features, such as eye color, by simply listening to audio tracks with hidden affirmations.
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Subliminal audios are a decentralized pseudoscientific belief system that suggests inaudible or barely-audible affirmations, embedded within music or ambient noise, can bypass the conscious mind and directly reprogram the subconscious.[1] This internet-born New Age practice is particularly popular with Gen Z and those susceptible to scientific illiteracy. The trend initially gained traction with online K-pop fandoms[2] in the mid-to-late 2010s and has since expanded to a global community with numerous dedicated creators. According to Social Blade, popular subliminal audio YouTube channels were gaining 1,000 subscribers a week on average in 2019.[1] Subliminals frequently employ a specific internet aesthetic characterized by aspirational titles and curated images of idealized individuals as thumbnails, while others use generic pseudoscientific or mystical imagery.

Proponents, which include "submakers" (content creators) and listeners, claim these audios can bring about a wide array of impossible changes, from altering one's physical appearance (e.g., changing eye color or bone structure) to manifesting desired life events (e.g., attracting wealth or a "soulmate"). The belief is heavily intertwined with the concepts of reality shifting and the law of attraction, with many practitioners using subliminals as a primary method. The main platforms are YouTube, TikTok, Amino, and dedicated subreddits, but creators increasingly use external websites like Google Docs or Rentry.co to host their claims to avoid being banned for dangerous or impossible assertions. In essence, it's a belief that you can magically wish for something to happen and get it for free, as long as you're wearing headphones.

There is zero credible scientific evidence that hidden auditory affirmations, specific frequencies, or subconscious "reprogramming" can physically alter one's biology or DNA,[3] control or influence other people's free will, manifest physical objects or circumstances, bestow supernatural abilities, or cure medical conditions or diseases.[4]

How they purportedly work[edit]

Proponents of subliminals claim that the practice works through a process they call "subconscious reprogramming". They posit that the brain is made up of two parts: the conscious and subconscious mind. The conscious mind, they argue, is logical and judgmental, often acting as a barrier to new beliefs. The subconscious, however, is believed to be a non-judgmental, passive entity that simply absorbs and acts on any information it is given repeatedly. This is why the community believes subliminals can be used by young people who have not been "wired" to believe that changing their appearance is unrealistic.[5]

To exploit this supposed mechanism, subliminals are created by recording "affirmations" and playing them at an inaudible volume,[6] sometimes as high as 17500 Hz, with the laughable claim that this bypasses the conscious mind. This assertion is a classic example of technobabble,[7] as most consumer audio devices cannot even reproduce sound at that frequency.[6] The community also misuses terms like "neurology" and neuroplasticity, a legitimate scientific term, to lend a veneer of credibility to their claims that a person can alter their physical body and "shift their biology." Some even claim that "traditional Chinese medicine or Ayurvedic medicine" are brushed off by science for the same reasons as subliminals, creating a false equivalence between an ancient medical practice and a modern, internet-based pseudoscience.[5]

The "proof" that subliminals work is entirely anecdotal evidence. The community points to "mini shifts" (fleeting sensations or feelings; including but not limited to throbbing, tingling, or a headache[7]) or "results" (before-and-after photos,[3] YouTube comments, and social media stories) as evidence. However, these can be easily dismissed as the placebo and nocebo effects or confirmation bias.[4] The reason there is no formal scientific evidence, as argued by some r/Subliminal community members, is not due to a flaw in the method itself, but rather a conspiracy by "governments" and "plastic surgeons" who would lose money.[5] Others claim there's no funding for research, creating a narrative of a legitimate, yet underfunded, belief system.[5] One user even repeats the claim of a "hidden secret project by the American government," echoing the shifting community's misuse of the declassified CIA Gateway Process documents.[5][8]

Subliminal communities often lend a veneer of credibility to their beliefs by misusing scientific and psychological concepts. One such example is the explanation that the subconscious mind is more likely to accept a statement as true the more it hears it. While this aligns with the illusory truth effect, proponents present it as the method to subliminal success, rather than a psychological phenomenon that makes them susceptible to the messages.[9]

Similarly, some creators, such as Moza Morph, who claims to be a medical student, employ concepts like the "Law of Assumption" to explain a lack of results.[10][11] The theory states that you must assume you have already achieved your desired outcome and persist in that belief, even in the face of contradictory evidence. A key example is Moza Morph claiming that if you see bumpy skin in the mirror, you must assume the mirror is "broken" rather than question the subliminal's effectiveness.[10]

This reliance on an unfalsifiable dogma is a hallmark of the community. In one instance, Adrixo, a self-proclaimed ex-subliminal creator, openly admits she does not care if subliminals are a "placebo effect" or "brainwashing," because as long as she gets her "desired results," the method is justified for her.[9] This mindset dismisses the need for scientific rigor. The perception of "results" is often a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the user begins to take better care of themselves, for example, through diet and exercise, and then attributes their natural physical changes to the subliminals.[6] Proponents explain this by claiming the subliminals "rewire" the user's mindset to make them want to take those actions, which in turn "tricks the brain" into believing the change is happening.[9][6]

Misappropriated concepts[edit]

The subliminal community frequently borrows concepts from legitimate psychology and philosophy, but distorts them beyond recognition to fit its pseudoscientific narrative. This intellectual dishonesty creates a convincing facade of credibility for those without a foundational understanding of the actual science. The belief system itself can be described as a Frankenstein's monster of pseudoscience, haphazardly stitched together from a patchwork of unrelated and often debunked ideas. It takes a little from legitimate psychology and philosophy, a little from debunked marketing schemes, a little from New Age mysticism, and a little from fringe theoretical physics. The result is a self-serving narrative that is simultaneously absurd and compelling to those who want to believe.

  • Subliminal Messaging: This is a core concept that the subliminal community borrows from a real-world, but debunked, source. In the 1950s, a famous hoax claimed that flashing messages like "drink coke & eat popcorn" on a movie screen could influence viewers.[3] While the study was proven to be a fraud, with researcher James Vicary admitting to falsifying the results in 1962,[6] the subliminal community seized on the idea that hidden messages can influence a person's thoughts. They then took the idea to a completely absurd and impossible extreme, claiming that these messages can alter a person's genetics, body, or external reality, a leap that even the original, fraudulent research never made.
  • The Power of Self-Suggestion: In real-world psychology, self-suggestion and positive affirmations are used to influence a person’s mindset and behavior. For example, a person who tells themselves they are confident is more likely to act confidently. However, the subliminal community blows this concept out of proportion, claiming that self-suggestion can manifest physical changes, alter genetics, or influence external events—all of which are impossible.
  • "Thoughts Create Your Reality": In a grounded, philosophical sense, this means that your mindset influences your actions, which in turn shapes your life. A person with a positive outlook is more likely to seek out opportunities and persevere through challenges. The subliminal community, however, takes this idea literally and turns it into magical thinking. They claim that thoughts and "vibrations" can magically and passively manifest wealth, physical changes, or a new reality without any corresponding real-world effort.
  • The Subconscious Mind: Legitimate psychology views the subconscious as a powerful part of the mind that processes information, automates habits, and manages bodily functions. It's a critical component of who we are. But within the subliminal community, the subconscious is portrayed as an omnipotent, passive entity that can be "reprogrammed" with hidden messages to achieve any goal. This completely ignores the fact that the subconscious is a part of the brain and is subject to the same biological and physical laws as everything else.
  • Psychoacoustics and Inaudible Sounds: This is the branch of science that studies how humans perceive and react to sound. The subliminal community misrepresents concepts from this field to justify its beliefs. For instance, they claim affirmations are played at inaudible frequencies (such as above 20,000 Hz, or ultrasound) so they can bypass the conscious mind. While science has shown that barely audible or low-frequency sounds (infrasound) can have subtle and context-specific effects on mood or physiology, the community takes these findings to an absurd extreme. They falsely claim that these inaudible sounds can "reprogram" the subconscious to physically change a person's DNA or body, a distortion of a legitimate scientific concept.
  • Binaural beats: An audio tool often used in conjunction with subliminals. A binaural beat is created when a person hears two different sound frequencies, one in each ear. The brain then perceives a third, illusory frequency, which can induce a state of relaxation or focus. While this is a real phenomenon, the subliminal community takes it to a new level of woo. They claim that specific frequencies can reprogram the brain or "resonate" with the universe to manifest desires, a fantastical distortion of a simple auditory effect.
  • Limiting Beliefs: This is a genuine term in psychology used to describe a self-sabotaging thought pattern that holds a person back from achieving a realistic goal. The subliminal community, however, uses it as a weapon against dissent. They reframe healthy skepticism and rational doubt about impossible claims as a "limiting belief" that must be eliminated, often by "detaching from the 3D" (ignoring conventional reality). This creates an unfalsifiable excuse for failure and punishes critical thinking, a core characteristic of a cult-like environment.
  • Quantum physics: A branch of physics that studies matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic level. Its legitimate, mind-bending concepts—such as superposition and entanglement—are a favorite among pseudoscientists. The subliminal community misuses these complex, real scientific ideas to make the illogical leap that a person can consciously "jump" between realities, that thoughts can physically influence the world, or that the human mind "vibrates" at a specific "frequency" to attract desired outcomes. This is a classic example of quantum woo, as quantum effects have no observable impact on the human body or the macroscopic world.
  • Multiverse Theory: The unproven multiverse theory is a central argument borrowed by the subliminal and shifting communities. Proponents of these beliefs claim that the scientific theory of a multiverse proves that all infinite possibilities, ranging from the mundane to fantastical (e.g., Hogwarts, the Marvel Cinematic Universe) exist as accessible, objective realities. This is a gross misappropriation of a complex, unproven theoretical concept from physics. In reality, the scientific models for a multiverse, such as the Many-Worlds interpretation, do not suggest that these other universes are accessible or that they contain fictional characters. The community uses the scientific term to lend a false sense of legitimacy to their impossible claims, which is a classic example of cargo cult science.
  • CIA's Declassified "Gateway Process" Documents: This is a classic example of appeal to authority and cargo cult science shared between both the subliminal and shifting communities. Proponents frequently cite declassified CIA documents, particularly those on the "Gateway Process," as proof that their beliefs are real and have been covertly studied by the government. In reality, the documents are a speculative report on altered states of consciousness, meditation, and remote viewing. While the report mentions using phased sine waves to create "beat" frequencies to influence brain activity (a form of binaural beats), it does not contain any references to "subliminals," "affirmations," "reprogramming the subconscious," "shifting," or any of the other core tenets of the community. The community simply takes the impressive-sounding source and misattributes their own entirely unrelated beliefs to it.[8]
  • Third eye: A concept borrowed from Eastern spiritual traditions, where it is believed to be a spiritual organ that grants a person a deeper, intuitive understanding of the world. Within the subliminal community, this idea is used to claim that subliminals can "open" the third eye to grant users psychic abilities, higher consciousness, and supernatural powers. This is a profound misunderstanding of the original spiritual concept, which has no scientific or anatomical basis. The community misuses the term to add another layer of mystical woo and fantastical promises to the belief system.

The anatomy of a subliminal[edit]

The barrier to entry for creating subliminals is remarkably low, which allows anyone with a computer or a smartphone to become a "submaker." Creating your own subliminals is often seen as the "safest" and most "effective" method, a belief that creates a powerful feedback loop: a person is far more likely to believe in the audios they created themselves, which in turn significantly heightens their confirmation bias and makes them more likely to perceive a change that isn't actually there. The process typically involves using free audio software like Audacity or even Capcut, TikTok's associated video editor. The creator records affirmations, often using a text-to-speech program like Loquendo, but some claim that recording the affirmations in their own voice is more effective. The audio is then sped up or lowered in volume to an inaudible level and layered over a background track. Some audios even claim to repeat their affirmations millions of times. In particular, the background music is where the monetization and ethical issues truly take shape.[7]

The community is split between "calm" subliminals, which use ambient sounds like rain or nature, and those that use popular music. The latter often uses copyrighted songs, overwhelmingly from K-pop artists, Lana Del Rey, or popular TikTok edit audios. This creates an ironic situation where creators profit from copyrighted material, all while preaching a philosophy of "good energy." These copyrighted audios are often the most popular, and their monetization is multi-layered. Submakers earn ad revenue from the high view counts on their YouTube videos, but the most dedicated fans can also pay for exclusive access to "members only" content (exemplified by Moza Morph), or even custom, paid subliminals (exemplified by Cee).

In essence, the system is a decentralized, yet highly effective, network of content creation and monetization. It exploits the low barrier to entry for creators and the desire for a "quick fix" from a vulnerable, primarily young and female audience.[2] It sells a placebo effect disguised as a scientifically proven method, all while profiting from the hopes and insecurities of its listeners.[8]

Glossary and beliefs[edit]

Like other forms of pseudoscience, the subliminal community has developed an intricate lexicon to explain its practices and justify its failures. This specialized language serves a critical social function. By turning simple concepts into impressive-sounding jargon, it creates a sense of secret knowledge and in-group status for its adherents. This jargon acts as a form of gatekeeping, allowing veteran users to easily identify and dismiss outsiders or "antis" who don't understand the terminology. This creates a powerful "us vs. them" mentality, insulating the community from external criticism and reinforcing the belief that only those on the inside can truly understand the "science" behind the practice.

Core concepts and mechanisms[edit]

  • Subliminals: The core component of the belief. Proponents claim these are audios containing hidden or inaudible positive statements. These affirmations are allegedly absorbed by the subconscious mind without conscious resistance, leading to desired changes.
  • Affirmations: The "hidden" content within subliminals. These are phrases that describe a desired outcome in the present tense, such as "My eyes are a beautiful shade of blue," "I have a perfect, straight nose," or "I am a millionaire."
  • Subconscious Reprogramming: The purported mechanism by which subliminals work. Proponents believe that by repeatedly listening to affirmations, they are "reprogramming" their subconscious mind to alter their physical reality. This is a gross misunderstanding of both neuroscience and psychology, as a person's subconscious is not a programmable tape recorder but a complex aspect of their mind tied to the physical brain.
  • Formula: A proprietary and often secret method that "submakers" claim to use to create their audios. This term is pure marketing, with creators assigning impressive-sounding names like "XT-01" or "SSS-5" to their unique formulas. The intent is to create a false sense of intellectual property and scientific rigor, convincing users that their audios are more potent or effective than those of other creators.
  • "Mind is unlimited" / "Shift your biology": A core belief that claims the human mind has the power to override genetics, anatomy, and the laws of physics.
  • Neurology: A legitimate scientific term that the community misuses to give a false sense of credibility to their claims about how the subconscious mind works.
  • Binaural beats: An audio tool often used in conjunction with subliminals that claims to alter brain activity through specific frequencies.
  • 17500 Hz: A specific, unverifiable claim that subliminal affirmations are played at a high-frequency audio level so you cannot "consciously interfere." This is a perfect example of technobabble designed to sound scientific while being easily debunked, as most consumer devices cannot accurately reproduce sound at this frequency.

The belief system and justifications[edit]

  • Manifesting: The act of using subliminals and affirmations to attract a desired outcome. It operates on the magical thinking premise that a person's thoughts and emotional state can directly influence objective reality.
  • Law of Attraction (LOA): A fundamental New Age belief that is the philosophical backbone of many subliminal users. It is the idea that "like attracts like," and that a person's thoughts and focus can directly manifest changes in their external world. Within the subliminal community, this belief is used to justify the idea that hidden affirmations can attract a "desired reality" or physical changes simply through mental intention and repetition. The entire premise is an unfalsifiable bit of woo.
  • Law of Assumption: Presented as a superior and more "healthy" alternative to the Law of Attraction. This belief claims that simply assuming one has their desired reality is enough to make it manifest, without the need for constant positive energy or "high vibrations." It is a subtle shift from passive wishing to active self-delusion, making the user responsible for maintaining a fictional mindset.
  • "State of Lackness" vs. "State of Abundance": Core dogma of the Law of Assumption. A "state of lackness" is the conscious recognition that one does not have their desired outcome, which is believed to sabotage results. A "state of abundance" is the self-delusion that one already has their desired outcome. This provides a psychological shield against disappointment, as any failure can be blamed on the user's inability to maintain the "correct" mental state.
  • "Live in the end": A phrase used to describe the practice of living as if one has already achieved their desire. The community claims this is not a "technique," but a "reaction" to a true assumption. This adds another layer of unfalsifiability; if it doesn't work, it's not because the method is flawed, but because the user was only "pretending" to live in the end.
  • Limiting beliefs: A concept grossly misappropriated from psychology and a key piece of Law of Attraction dogma. This is the idea that any skepticism or lack of absolute belief in the process will "limit" the results. In reality, it serves as another unfalsifiable excuse for failure; if an outcome doesn't manifest, it's because the user simply didn't "believe hard enough," not because the system is inherently flawed. No amount of belief can override objective reality.
  • "Take Action" vs. "Behavior is Automatic": This highlights a fundamental schism in the community. Some proponents believe that listening to subliminals is all that's required, and that any necessary real-world action will be automatically triggered by the subconscious. This is a crucial element of the passive, escapist nature of the belief system.

Practices and rituals[edit]

  • Playlist: A user's custom collection of subliminal audios, typically created on a platform like YouTube. The daily ritual of listening to this playlist can take on a quasi-religious significance, with users meticulously ordering their audios and adhering to strict listening schedules, believing that any deviation could prevent them from getting "results."
  • Journaling: The practice of logging daily progress, often in public forums like YouTube comment sections. Journal entries typically follow a ritualistic format (e.g., "Day 1: I listened, Day 2: I lost two pounds while sleeping"), which serves to manufacture anecdotal evidence and create a spectacle of progress for the community. A inside joke among users is that many who start these journals stop updating them after a few days, which the community dismisses as a normal part of the journey when, in reality, it's a quiet testament to the fact that no genuine "results" were achieved.
  • Drinking Water: Users are frequently instructed to drink large amounts of water while listening to subliminals. This common-sense advice is reframed as a mystical necessity, an essential part of the "process" that is somehow required for the affirmations to "work." This is a classic example of cargo cult science, where a logical and benefitial practice (staying hydrated) is attached to a pseudoscientific ritual to make the ritual feel more legitimate.
  • Wearing Headphones: The advice to use headphones while listening to subliminals is considered a non-negotiable rule by many in the community. The belief is that headphones ensure the inaudible affirmations reach the subconscious mind effectively, especially for audios that include binaural beats. In reality, this is a ritualistic practice that creates a focused, immersive experience, making the user more susceptible to the placebo effect.
  • Angel numbers: A concept borrowed from New Age spirituality and numerology. Proponents of subliminals obsess over specific number sequences, such as 111, 444, or 888, which they believe are signs from the universe that their subliminals are working or that their "vibrations" are in alignment. This is a form of pareidolia, a psychological phenomenon where the brain perceives patterns in random noise. The practice encourages users to look for false signs of progress in their daily lives, reinforcing their belief system through a constant search for validation and proof.
  • "Set a clear intention": A ritualistic first step in the process, where a user mentally establishes their desired outcome. It's a form of focusing their belief and purpose before beginning the subliminal.
  • Detaching / Intention: A core ritual in the subliminal and reality shifting communities. Users are advised to "detach" from the need for results after setting their "intention" or goal. This serves as a convenient psychological trick: by detaching from the outcome, the user can mitigate the disappointment of a failed attempt and feel justified in trying again. It is an emotionally manipulative technique designed to preserve the belief system.
  • Present Tense / Past Tense: A nonsensical rule for writing affirmations. Users are told to write affirmations in the present or past tense ("My eyes are blue") and avoid the future tense ("My eyes will be blue"). This ritualistic rule adds to the mysticism of the practice and attempts to "trick" the subconscious into believing the desired outcome has already happened.
  • The Subconscious Doesn't Understand "No": A popular piece of pseudoscience in the community, this claim posits that the subconscious mind cannot process negative words like "no" or "not." Therefore, an affirmation like "I am not fat" will be interpreted as "I am fat." While it is true that positive affirmations are often more effective in psychological practice, this belief is a gross misrepresentation of how the brain processes language. Its true function within the community is to make the "rules" of subliminals more mystical and complex, while also adding another layer of justification for why a user's results might not be what they expected.
  • "Immune to...": A phrase used in affirmations (e.g., "I am immune to cancer," "I am immune to breakups") that claims to provide magical protection from negative events, directly related to the "subsconcious doesn't understand 'no'" dogma.
  • Robotic Affirming: The practice of mindlessly repeating affirmations in one's head, with the belief that a sheer volume of repetition will be more effective. This passive, low-effort method of "affirming" completely misunderstands how genuine psychological change occurs, which requires conscious thought and effort.
  • Visualization: The act of mentally picturing a desired outcome. Shifters and subliminal users believe that if they vividly imagine having an hourglass figure or a certain eye color, this will somehow make it a reality. In practice, this is a form of simple daydreaming that can strengthen a person's belief (i.e., confirmation bias) but has no effect on the physical world. Sometimes, users may use Pinterest to create boards.
  • Self-Talk / Internal Monologue: Proponents frame a person's normal internal thought processes as a form of "programming" that can be either "positive" or "negative." This allows them to present subliminals as a form of self-help that can "reprogram" a person's inner dialogue, a classic bait-and-switch that misuses psychological concepts for pseudoscientific ends.

Community dynamics and rebuttals[edit]

  • Submakers: The creators and distributors of subliminal audios. These individuals or channels profit by monetizing their content on YouTube or selling private, custom audios. In this context, they often function as the community's authority figures.
  • Users / Listeners: The people passively consuming "affirmations."
  • "Negative" vs. "Positive" Affirmations / "Toxic" vs. "Safe" Submakers: A key part of the community's internal paranoia. Since subliminals are intentionally incomprehensible, users fear that unscrupulous "submakers" could embed harmful affirmations (e.g., "get a disease"). As a result, the community dedicates significant time to making their own audios and creating lists of "safe"/trusted creators, highlighting a fundamental lack of trust in the very people they rely on. One infamous example of a "dark subliminal" creator was Mind Power, also known as Amy Bass, who was accused in 2017 of including harmful affirmations in her subliminals. Users alleged negative effects like "demonic dreams," depressive thoughts, and anxiety.[1][12] After the channel was shut down in December 2018, another prominent creator, Rose Subliminals, admitted in April 2019 to adding "negative affirmations" to her videos.[12]
  • UG (Underground) / Surface Community: A subculture within the subliminal community with a more sinister edge. The "UG" community creates and consumes audios with extremely harmful affirmations that are socially unacceptable in the mainstream or what they call the "surface" subliminal community. These can include audios to "get autism," "get a mental disorder," "attract abuse," or cause harm to others (e.g., "desired person dies").[8][4] The very existence of this sub-community shatters the common claim that subliminals are a "harmless" or purely positive practice. It frequently overlaps with pro-ana communities.
  • "Gut feeling": The advice to trust one's own intuition when choosing a subliminal. In a community with a pervasive fear of "negative affirmations," this serves as the primary method of quality control, replacing objective scrutiny with subjective feelings.
  • "Subliminal bop": A slang term used to describe someone who listens to many different subliminals from various creators, often contradicting the advice to stick with a limited playlist.
  • "Tricks your brain": A phrase used by the speaker to describe how combining physical action with subliminal listening can supposedly force the body to change. It's a telling admission that the process relies on psychological manipulation rather than genuine magic.
  • Mini Shift: A term used in both the subliminal and reality shifting communities to describe a small, subjective experience that proponents believe is a sign of a successful or "working" subliminal. Examples include a user feeling a physical sensation like a tingling in their face or seeing a flash of light. These experiences are celebrated as a form of "proof" and are used to encourage users to continue listening, even though they are likely a result of the placebo effect or a psychological phenomenon known as hypnagogic hallucination.
  • "I don't care if it's placebo": A powerful and very common retort used by proponents. This phrase is the ultimate intellectual retreat, as it acknowledges the possibility of the placebo effect but dismisses its importance. By saying this, a person admits they prioritize their subjective experience and belief over objective truth, effectively ending any rational debate.
  • "But I have results!": A common, unfalsifiable retort used by proponents to dismiss any arguments about the placebo effect. It's the ultimate appeal to personal experience that shuts down any reasoned debate.

Internal contradictions and excuses[edit]

  • Exaggerated Affirmations: The practice of deliberately crafting completely impossible affirmations (e.g., "I lose 10000kg every time I breathe"). The rationale is that such absurd claims supposedly have more "power" or work faster than more mundane ones. In reality, this is a tactic to induce a stronger placebo effect by engaging the user's imagination in a more dramatic way, all while reinforcing the community's dogma that nothing is truly impossible. If subliminal audios truly worked, this would be unnecessary.
  • Forced Subliminals: A type of subliminal audio that promises faster or permanent results through more potent affirmations, often implying a more aggressive or powerful technique.
  • One Listen: A popular and highly appealing marketing claim that a subliminal can deliver permanent, instantaneous results after being played only once. This is a biologically and psychologically impossible claim that feeds into the community's desire for instant gratification. It directly contradicts the more common, though equally flawed, dogma that repetition over weeks or months is required for a subliminal to "work."
  • Blockages: A convenient escape hatch for why subliminals don't produce results. A "blockage" is an unspoken, often unidentifiable, obstacle within the user's mind that supposedly prevents them from receiving the affirmations. This is a classic example of victim-blaming, shifting responsibility from the impossible premise to the user's supposed internal flaws.
  • Reverse results: A supposed phenomenon where a user experiences a negative or opposite outcome from their desired one (e.g., listening to a "clear skin" subliminal and developing a rash). Proponents use a number of unfalsifiable explanations for this, such as claiming the subliminal was "toxic" or contained negative affirmations. In reality, these are likely just a product of the nocebo effect, where a person's belief that they will be harmed leads them to experience negative subjective symptoms. The term is yet another defense mechanism for the community, as it allows them to explain away a negative outcome without having to question the core belief that subliminals work.
  • Booster: A subliminal audio that is purportedly designed to "speed up" or "enhance" the results of other subliminals. The existence of these audios is a tacit admission that the original subliminals often don't work on their own and require an additional ritual to maintain the user's belief. In reality, boosters simply strengthen the confirmation bias and placebo effect, reinforcing the user's belief in the overall practice.
  • Clashes / Flushes: The idea that listening to too many different subliminals can cause "clashes" or conflicting affirmations in the subconscious, which prevents results. To "fix" this, users are advised to listen to a "flush" subliminal, which is designed to erase all previous affirmations. This ridiculous concept treats the human subconscious like a tape recorder that can be erased and rewritten at will.
  • Limiting beliefs: A concept grossly misappropriated from psychology and a key piece of Law of Attraction dogma. This is the idea that any skepticism or lack of absolute belief in the process will "limit" the results. In reality, it serves as another unfalsifiable excuse for failure; if an outcome doesn't manifest, it's because the user simply didn't "believe hard enough." No belief can override objective reality.
  • The Ego / Conscious Mind: In this community's lexicon, the ego is a self-sabotaging force that provides "negative feedback" and prevents affirmations from working. They believe the conscious mind and its logical skepticism must be bypassed in order to achieve results, which is a convenient way to dismiss critical thinking as a negative quality.
  • Illusory Truth Effect: This is a phenomenon that the community ironically co-opts to explain why subliminals "work." The illusory truth effect is a real psychological bias where repeating a false statement makes it seem more true. Proponents of subliminals mistakenly believe that this is the mechanism by which their audios alter reality, rather than a psychological bias that keeps them believing in the practice itself.
  • "The Subconscious Understands All Languages": This is a bizarre claim that has emerged with the community's global expansion into languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, Russian, and Turkish. Proponents believe that the subconscious mind can understand affirmations in any language, even one the listener doesn't speak. This defies all of modern linguistics and neuroscience, as language acquisition is a complex cognitive process that requires conscious learning and exposure. The belief treats language not as a system of learned communication, but as a universal "vibration" that the mind can automatically process, providing a convenient excuse for users to listen to any audio they find, regardless of whether they understand its content.

Outcomes and community terms[edit]

  • Benefits / Results: The promised outcomes of listening to a subliminal audio. The term "results" is typically used to refer to any change, no matter how small or subjective, that a user experiences. These are often presented as "proof" in the form of before-and-after photos, which are highly susceptible to confirmation bias and photo editing. YouTube comments might also misattribute fleeting sensations (e.g. feeling a tummy ache when listening to a "weight loss" subliminal) to the audio.[2]
  • Calm Audio: A type of subliminal audio that is contrasted with the more common versions that use copyrighted popular music. "Calm" subliminals use non-copyrighted, ambient sounds like rain, white noise, or gentle instrumentals to mask the affirmations. They are often presented as a more serious or meditative form of the practice, which is an attempt to create a false sense of legitimacy and maturity. However, they are still delivering the same impossible claims as the versions with pop music, simply with a more serene backdrop.
  • Desired... (e.g., "Desired Person Loves You," "Desired Eye Color"): A common buzzword that allows listeners to project their specific fantasies onto a generic audio. This term is foundational to the practice, enabling the illusion that an audio can manifest highly specific, personal outcomes without a logical explanation.
  • Anti: A term used in both the subliminal and shifting communities to stereotype and "other" skeptics. The term is a blatant strawman fallacy, as it creates a caricature of a critic as an angry, hateful, and closed-minded person. By labeling any dissenter as an "anti," the community can dismiss all criticism without having to engage with the actual points being made and reinforce the echo chamber.
  • Demotivating: A term used in the shifting and subliminal to describe dissent or criticism, subtly implying that it creates a sense of cognitive dissonance and discourages a person from continuing with the practice. This allows the community to reframe logical arguments as a form of personal attack.
  • WL: Short for weight loss, used to bypass YouTube's medical misinformation standards. Can overlap with pro-ana communities.
  • Glow-ups: A popular Gen-Z slang term used to describe the desired physical transformations, such as changing one's appearance, losing weight, or getting clearer skin. It's the ultimate promise of the subliminal community.
  • CC (Carbon Copy): Short for "carbon copy," this is the belief that one can use subliminals to perfectly replicate the physical body of another person.[7] This can be a celebrity, a character from a movie, or a completely fictional creation. The concept is a perfect illustration of the community's complete detachment from reality, as it is a biologically impossible claim that ignores genetics, anatomy, and the fundamental laws of human development. It is the most extreme form of the "desired appearance" claim, promising a level of transformation that is pure fantasy.
  • Aegyo Sal: A term from K-pop beauty standards that refers to the small pocket of fat under the eye, which is considered a sign of youth and cuteness. The subliminal community has co-opted this specific beauty standard by creating audios that promise to magically give users an "aegyo sal." It capitalizes on a niche, hyper-specific beauty ideal to manufacture insecurity and promote a biologically impossible form of cosmetic change.
  • RCTA (Race Change To Another): A term used to describe subliminal audios that promise to completely change a user's race or ethnicity.[13] The community's own marketing explicitly claims to rewrite DNA, RNA, and chromosomes to match a specific racial or ethnic group. This is a biologically impossible and ethically repugnant idea that dismisses genetics and the real-world experiences of different ethnic groups. While these are controversial even within the subliminal community, their very existence highlights the dangerous lengths to which the belief system is taken. It preys on people's struggles with identity and self-image, offering a magical solution to complex, deeply personal issues. These audios are a prime example of the extreme and harmful fantasies that can take root in a community that rejects science and embraces impossible claims.
  • Looksmaxxing: A term that originated in toxic, misogynistic online communities, particularly from incel forums. It has since been adopted by certain segments of the subliminal community. The core belief is that a person can improve their physical appearance to its "maximum potential" to gain more social and romantic value ("rizz"), often to the detriment of their mental health. Within the subliminal community, this idea is used to promote audios for hyper-specific and often unattainable physical changes, encouraging a dangerous obsession with appearance and a shallow, appearance-based worldview.
  • Wonyoungism: A specific internet aesthetic and lifestyle trend named after the K-pop idol Jang Wonyoung. This is a perfect example of how subliminals latch onto specific celebrity fandoms to create highly aspirational and often unattainable ideals of beauty and perfection. Subliminals for "Wonyoungism" promise to give users her specific facial features, body proportions, and personality traits.
  • Binge Flush: A term used to describe a subliminal audio that claims to magically negate the consequences of overeating, marketed towards individuals with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Proponents believe that by listening to these audios, they can "flush" out calories, fat, or other perceived negative effects of food, particularly ultra-processed foods (UPF) after a period of overeating. This is an extremely dangerous and ethically bankrupt concept that preys on people with eating disorders. It promotes a form of magical thinking that denies the basic laws of biology and nutrition. The promise of being able to eat without consequence can deepen a person's unhealthy relationship with food, prevent them from seeking professional help for a genuine medical condition, and lead to a worsening of their eating disorder.
  • The 3D: A term used to refer to objective reality. Users are often told to "ignore the 3D" or "detach from the 3D" in order to achieve their goals. This is a core part of the belief that promotes dangerous levels of dissociation and maladaptive escapism, as the user is encouraged to ignore their real-world problems.
  • Mini-shift: A term used in both the subliminal and reality shifting communities to describe a small, subjective experience that proponents believe is a sign of a successful or "working" subliminal. Examples include a user feeling a physical sensation like a tingling in their face, a headache, throbbing, or seeing a flash of light.[7] These experiences are celebrated as a form of "proof" and are used to encourage users to continue listening, even though they are likely a result of the placebo effect or a psychological phenomenon known as hypnagogic hallucination.
  • Backmasking: A method of creating subliminals by playing the affirmations backward. This is a classic pseudoscientific concept that has been widely debunked.[6] It shows the community's reliance on fringe and unsubstantiated ideas.
  • Morphic Fields Enhancer Frequency: A piece of pure woo used by the YouTuber Moza Morph that claims to "insanely boost" a user's results. This term is a fusion of two pseudoscientific ideas: "morphic fields" (a concept from fringe biologist Rupert Sheldrake) and the notion that specific frequencies can alter reality. It serves to make the audios sound more advanced and powerful.
  • Mental Diet: A term often used to describe the practice of controlling one's thoughts to align with their desired outcome. Within the subliminal community, listening to audios is considered a form of "mental diet" that is supposed to automatically filter out all "negative" thoughts.

Logical fallacies and cognitive biases of the community[edit]

This section details the flawed reasoning and psychological biases that underpin the belief system and its surrounding community, revealing its pseudoscientific nature.

Logical fallacies[edit]

  • Appeal to personal experience: The community relies heavily on this, a fallacy where a person substitutes a personal story or an anecdote for logical or empirical evidence. Proponents often point to a large number of "success stories" as proof, arguing that there is "no way they could all be fake/lying." However, this ignores that these stories are unverifiable, easily faked (e.g., through photo editing), and can be easily explained by psychological effects such as the placebo effect and confirmation bias. The core flaw of this fallacy is its failure to distinguish between a subjective, internal feeling (e.g., a vivid dream) and an objective, external fact. The popular phrase "But I have results!" is the ultimate form of this, as it is used to shut down a logical argument by prioritizing a personal, unproven feeling over a universal, verifiable fact.
  • Appeal to authority: This is a core tactic used by "submakers" like Moza Morph, who has amassed millions of views on YouTube. She prefaces her videos by claiming to be a "medical student" and having her subliminals "consulted to my lecturers who are medical specialists." This is a classic fallacy used to lend a false sense of scientific credibility to her claims without providing any verifiable evidence. Similarly, skeptics, often labelled as "antis," are expected to "do their own research" before criticizing the belief system, which would lead them to the community's own internal documentation, like forum posts, personal wikis, and videos, which are all unverifiable, based on anecdotal evidence, and misappropriated scientific terms. It's a form of circular reasoning where the only "proof" is found within the echo chamber itself.
  • False equivalence: A common fallacy is the comparison of shifting and subliminal audios to established, ancient religions. Proponents argue that since neither can be scientifically proven, they are equally valid, which dismisses the vast cultural, social, and historical differences. The community also draws false equivalences between lucid dreaming and shifting, despite one being a proven neurological phenomenon and the other a claim of external reality alteration.
  • Post-hoc rationalization: This is a fallacy where a person claims that because an event happened after another, the first event caused the second. This is seen when mundane events or vivid dreams are retroactively labeled as "mini-shifts" or "results" to reinforce the belief.
  • Thought-terminating cliché: The community relies on phrases like "limiting beliefs" and "shifting is as easy as breathing" to shut down debate and prevent critical thought. These slogans are not arguments; they are tools to silence dissent and reinforce the delusion.
  • Appeal to ignorance: This fallacy claims that because we don't have a complete or definitive explanation for something, a specific unproven or fantastical claim must be true. The community frequently uses this fallacy to justify its beliefs. Proponents argue that because science doesn't have a complete theory of consciousness or a definitive understanding of the universe, it must therefore be possible for consciousness to "shift" or for thoughts to alter reality. This is a form of the "God of the Gaps" argument, where a magical or pseudoscientific belief is inserted into the current gaps of scientific knowledge. This fallacy serves as a convenient shield against logical criticism, as a person can always fall back on the claim that "we just don't know everything yet," effectively ending any debate.

Cognitive biases[edit]

  • Confirmation bias: This is the tendency to search for, interpret, and recall information in a way that confirms one's pre-existing beliefs. In the shifting and subliminal communities, this manifests as a constant search for "success stories" and a complete dismissal of the vast majority of users who fail to get results. It's a self-reinforcing bias that makes the community's beliefs seem more plausible than they are.
  • Placebo effect: This is a beneficial psychological or physiological response that a person experiences after receiving a fake or inactive treatment, which is triggered by their belief that the treatment will work. In the subliminal community, this effect is the most likely explanation for any positive "results" a person experiences. The simple act of believing that an audio track with hidden affirmations will make them more confident, lose weight, or get a job can cause a person to subconsciously make healthier choices, act more confidently, or notice small, positive changes in their life. These results are genuine, but they are a product of the person's own mindset and actions, not the subliminal itself.
  • Nocebo effect: This is the opposite of the placebo effect. It is a negative psychological or physiological response that a person experiences after receiving a fake or inactive treatment, which is triggered by their belief that the treatment will cause harm. This effect is the likely explanation for the community's "reverse results" and "blockages." A person who fears a subliminal will give them a headache, make them feel sick, or cause a negative outcome is more likely to experience that outcome. The belief that a "toxic" or "negative" subliminal could cause harm is often the very thing that manifests that harm.
  • Survivorship bias: A logical fallacy where a person concentrates on the successes ("survivors") of a group, while ignoring the failures ("victims") of the same group. The online subliminal community operates as a modern-day spectacle of this fallacy. In forums and on YouTube, before-and-after photos and personal anecdotes from people who believe they got "results" are highly visible, celebrated, and upvoted. This creates the illusion that the practice is effective for a large number of people. However, this visible group of "survivors" completely overshadows the silent majority who get no "results." The lack of a response from this larger group is conveniently ignored, or worse, blamed on the individual's "limiting beliefs" or "blockages," creating a self-reinforcing echo chamber.
  • Dunning–Kruger effect: This is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their own ability. The community's misuse of terms from quantum physics and neuroscience is a perfect example of this, where a small amount of knowledge is used to justify an impossible claim, leading to a false sense of expertise.

A quick-fix for everything[edit]

Subliminals are sold to a young, vulnerable audience as a magical solution to any problem, from minor insecurities to impossible dreams. The practice promotes a passive, quick-fix mentality that ranges from plausible-but-misattributed psychological effects to outright fantasy.

The placebo effect in action: plausible, internal changes[edit]

The most seductive subliminals are those that promise to fix internal states and habits. Audios for "confidence," "motivation to study," or "willpower" might, in fact, lead a user to feel more confident or motivated. However, this is not due to any mystical subconscious "reprogramming." Instead, it is the classic placebo effect at work. The user's belief in the subliminal gives them a renewed sense of hope and a focus on their goal, leading them to consciously or subconsciously put in more effort. The results they achieve are entirely a product of their own actions, but the credit is conveniently misattributed to the subliminal.

Impossible but mundane claims[edit]

Beyond these internal changes, the majority of subliminals promise physical and external changes that are biologically and logically impossible. Proponents offer audios to give a person a "button nose," "sapphire blue eyes," or to "grow 10 inches taller overnight." These claims are in direct defiance of genetics, anatomy, and the laws of biology. The logical absurdities extend to external events, with audios promising to make a "crush obsessed with you" or to help a user "skip school," promoting a form of magical thinking where a person's thoughts can override the free will of others or the rules of the world.

The internal hierarchy of absurdity: fantastical claims[edit]

The far end of the spectrum is a plunge into complete fantasy. The community, in its desperate quest for new goals, has created subliminals for baffling and fantastical changes, such as becoming a vampire, mermaid, or any other mythical creature,[3][7] flying (ignores all known laws of physics), or growing wings. These are the most ridiculous claims, and yet they play a key role in the community's social structure. The acceptance of these outlandish promises functions as a form of gatekeeping. By fully believing in the most absurd claims, a user demonstrates their deep commitment to the delusion and elevates their status within the community, proving they have shed all "limiting beliefs" and completely abandoned objective reality.

Conversely, some members of the community reject these fantastical claims altogether. By dismissing audios for supernatural abilities or mythical transformations, they create a false sense of rational skepticism and make more mundane, yet still biologically impossible, claims—such as changing eye color, bone structure, or height—seem somehow more plausible. This internal filtering allows them to maintain a sense of credibility, even though both the fantastical and the "plausible" claims are equally without any basis in scientific fact. This is an example of a false dichotomy, where the user is led to believe that since one set of claims is clearly absurd, the other must be valid by comparison.

Roots in pop culture[edit]

The fantastical claims of the subliminal community show that it often uses pop culture as a foundation, effectively acting as both a form of pseudoscience and a "fandom." Creators often take advantage of internet aesthetics and idealized representations in media to create hyper-specific goals related to beauty, anatomy, and personality. These aren't just general ideals but precise standards, such as the "aura" of celebrities in iconic movie roles or the visual style of a particular music video. This directly connects to the "carbon copy" belief, a claim that one can manifest the exact appearance of another person, disregarding the laws of genetics and biology.

This dependence on fiction extends to "reality shifting," which promises a user can move to well-established fictional universes like Hogwarts or the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Similarly, subliminal affirmations promise the manifestation of supernatural abilities or transformations into mythical creatures, all drawn directly from the realm of cinema and video games. The community takes pop culture narrative devices and treats them as an accessible reality.

Thus, the audience constantly blurs the line between reality and fantasy. As an analogy, the Chinese government controversially banned time travel narratives in media, citing concerns that they could create unrealistic expectations in viewers and disrespect history. While the ban itself is an extreme example of censorship, the phenomenon of subliminal audios precisely demonstrates their concern: a community actively confusing fiction with reality and developing magical, impossible expectations from an imaginary narrative.

Logical and ethical flaws[edit]

Beyond its scientific illiteracy, the subliminal community is rife with logical and ethical flaws that reveal its true nature as a harmful pseudoscientific movement. Its internal mechanisms are designed to insulate the belief from criticism and blame the user for any and all failures, creating a vicious cycle of self-deception and frustration.

The unfalsifiable dogma[edit]

The entire belief system is built on a foundation of unfalsifiability, a hallmark of pseudoscience. The premise is designed so that the system itself can never be wrong; only the user can. When a listener inevitably fails to get results, the community provides a series of convenient escape hatches that ensure the belief system is never at fault. Any skepticism or doubt is re-framed as a "limiting belief" that actively prevents success, a classic victim-blaming tactic. This is reinforced by the idea that "The Subconscious Doesn't Understand 'No'," a bizarre rule that adds a layer of mystical complexity and punishes any form of negative thinking, no matter how rational it may be. Similarly, an invisible, unidentifiable mental obstacle called a "blockage" can be invoked at any time to explain a lack of progress.

This circular logic culminates in the ultimate intellectual surrender. When confronted with evidence that their results are simply a product of the placebo effect, many proponents fall back on the retort, "I don't care if it's placebo." By saying this, they acknowledge the possibility of a scientific explanation but dismiss its importance, prioritizing personal feeling and anecdotal experience over objective truth.

Creating hyperspecific insecurities and unrealistic expectations[edit]

The community preys on the vulnerabilities of its primarily teenage/Gen-Z demographic by manufacturing a vast spectrum of hyper-specific insecurities,[7][8] teaching listeners that passively listening to an audio can be the solution to any problem. Submakers market audios for a "harmonious round chin," "porcelain skin," "beautiful heart shaped lips," or "feline eyes," creating new anxieties around features most people had never even considered. This is often framed using a veneer of scientific authority, with titles promising "scientifically & anatomically detailed" formulas and even claims of being a "virtual plastic surgeon" (as seen in the channel description of the submaker Cee). This barrage of ultra-specific, often unattainable ideals promotes deep-seated insecurity and a toxic obsession with physical appearance.

The core of the movement, however, is a fundamental promotion of passivity over action.[2] The community offers seemingly effortless solutions to complex life problems, effectively teaching users to disengage from reality. Titles like "SLEEP = RESULTS," "buy desired home," and "successful amazon kdp business" explicitly promise success with zero effort. This is exemplified by the instruction to "detach from the 3D", an insidious command to ignore objective reality and psychological distress when it conflicts with the user's fantasy. This actively encourages dissociation and escapism, discouraging people from engaging with their real-world issues.

This passive mentality becomes truly dangerous when applied to health and identity. Subliminals recklessly promise impossible physical transformations, from changing ethnicity (e.g., "Stem Cell WHITE SKIN BOOSTER," "100% Russian DNA") and height ("GROW 10 INCHES TALLER OVERNIGHT") to curing complex medical conditions like autism and cancer. These claims are not only scientifically impossible but also ethically bankrupt, as they exploit vulnerable people seeking a magical solution to real-world problems. For example, some creators post "FULL BODY HEALING" audios that claim to "regenerate body cells & tissues" and fix a wide range of specific organ systems, from the liver to the respiratory system. The videos often include a misleading disclaimer that the subliminal is not a substitute for medical treatment, which is a transparent attempt to absolve the creator of responsibility while still profiting from the promises of magical healing. This kind of medical misinformation is so egregious that platforms like YouTube have started to crack down, with some "submakers" reporting that their channels are being terminated due to the dangerous claims of their weight loss ("WL") subliminals.

So why are subliminals so damaging?[edit]

The subliminal community often defends itself from criticism by claiming the practice is a "harmless" form of self-care. This narrative is an appeal to emotion designed to evade legitimate scrutiny, suggesting that because a belief system "makes people happy," any criticism is an attack on a person's well-being. However, this argument has several dangerous ethical blind spots that promote insidious forms of harm.

The claim of harmlessness collapses under scrutiny, revealing a number of subtle yet damaging effects. Rather than fostering self-confidence, the community actively manufactures insecurities by promoting hyper-specific, often impossible, ideals such as "doll beauty" or the idea that one can look like a specific celebrity (often referred to as "carbon copy").[7] This toxic preoccupation with appearance and a constant state of dissatisfaction with one's natural body creates a breeding ground for self-doubt and low self-esteem. In fact, the practice is a quick-fix solution to everything from failing a test to achieving a "dream body," constantly promoting false hope and leading to a significant waste of time and mental energy that could have been spent on genuine self-improvement or professional help for listeners. When the inevitable failure occurs, the blame is placed on the user’s "limiting beliefs," leading to a cycle of self-blame and frustration.

This lowering of a person's critical thinking defenses makes them susceptible to a slippery slope of other pseudoscience. After embracing one impossible idea ("hidden affirmations can change reality"), users are more vulnerable to other, often more dangerous, beliefs, including but not limited to reality shifting, crystal healing, specific fad diets, or psychic abilities. The argument of "harmlessness" is also completely dismantled by the existence of the UG (Underground) community. This subculture creates and consumes subliminals for genuinely malicious and harmful outcomes, such as causing harm to oneself or others.[8][4] The very existence of this dark underbelly proves that the "subliminal is always positive" narrative is a self-serving fantasy.

Subcultures[edit]

K-pop subliminals[edit]

The K-pop subliminal subculture is a prominent segment of the community, largely driven by the strict and often unattainable beauty standards of the K-pop industry. This subculture preys on the insecurities of Western fans, particularly young people, who are exposed to idealized images of idols. The practice often involves listening to audio tracks, frequently set to popular K-pop songs, with the belief that they can acquire the physical features, talents, or even the lifestyle of their favorite idols.

One of the most notable examples of this trend is "Wonyoungism," an internet aesthetic and lifestyle movement centered around the aesthetic and persona of K-pop idol Jang Wonyoung. These subliminals promise specific, biologically impossible changes like obtaining an "aegyo sal" (a small fat deposit under the eye), achieving "pale skin with pink undertones," or mirroring the body proportions of a specific idol. The use of such highly specific beauty standards encourages viewers, especially those who are not East Asian, to develop insecurities about their own appearance and to chase unrealistic ideals.[14]

This subculture also features audios that promise radical transformations beyond physical appearance, such as the ability to move to Korea, "manifest" idol-level singing or dancing skills, or even change one's ethnicity to Korean. These claims are not only impossible but also serve as a form of cultural appropriation, as they reduce Korean culture to a set of aesthetic features. While some users claim these audios provide confidence or motivation, others have noted that the obsessive pursuit of these results can lead to unhealthy habits and a cycle of self-doubt. The discourse within the community often pits the belief that subliminals are a harmless placebo against the argument that they are a deceptive gimmick that actively encourages the development of unhealthy self-perceptions.[14]

UG/Underground subliminals[edit]

Underground subliminals (often abbreviated as "UG") represent the darkest and most dangerous part of the subliminal community. While mainstream or "surface" subliminal audios promise "positive" changes, the underground subculture creates and consumes audios explicitly designed for negative and harmful outcomes. These videos are characterized by their unsettling thumbnails and titles, and they can often be found by searching for specific keywords on platforms like YouTube.[8]

Creators of these audios often target extremely vulnerable individuals, preying on their mental health struggles and insecurities. The videos can contain affirmations to acquire or worsen existing mental and neurological disorders like autism, Tourette's syndrome, anorexia, or depersonalization[4], with some users claiming to be doing so to get a formal diagnosis. Other audios promise more malicious outcomes, such as causing harm to parents or attracting illegal substances and weapons. The motivations behind this are varied, with some listeners describing it as a form of self-harm.[4]

The most disturbing aspect of the UG community is its predatory side. Some creators on YouTube have posted audios and animations designed to make the listener look younger, often with descriptions and comments that suggest highly inappropriate and illegal purposes. The existence of these videos and their high view counts reveal a shocking underbelly of the community that operates outside the typical realm of "self-improvement" and magical thinking, exploiting the most vulnerable users for vile purposes. The fact that platforms have struggled to remove this content has raised significant ethical and safety concerns among those who are aware of the practice.[4]

RCTA/Transracial subliminals[edit]

Race Change to Another (RCTA) is a particularly controversial online subculture within the subliminal community. Proponents believe they can alter their physical appearance and genetics to manifest as a different race, most often East Asian.[13] The phenomenon gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by the widespread popularity of East Asian media.[13]

Users often engage in the practice for a variety of reasons, including a deep fascination with a particular culture or a desire to be seen as "exotic" or "unique."[13] Some psychologists suggest that for white individuals, this can be a misguided attempt to escape feelings of "white shame" or guilt over their racial identity.[13] Conversely, some people of color have cited a desire to change their race after facing racism and prejudice.[13]

Experts, however, unequivocally state that changing one's race is biologically impossible.[13] They argue that race is a social and cultural construct, not a genetic reality that can be altered through affirmations or audio frequencies. Critics also contend that RCTA is a form of cultural appropriation and fetishization, as it focuses on an idealized, aesthetic version of a race while ignoring the systemic racism and prejudice that members of that group face in reality.[13] This belief is further supported by the use of outdated and offensive terms like "mongoloid skull" in some subliminal titles and affirmations.[13]

The community's claims have been compared to the experiences of transgender people, but activists and psychologists strongly reject this comparison and have labelled it as transphobic. They argue that race and gender identity are fundamentally different; race is an external social hierarchy, while gender identity is an internal sense of self.[13]

See also[edit]

Want to read this in another language?[edit]

Audios subliminales es la versión en español de este artículo.

Si vous voulez cet article en français, il peut être trouvé à Audios subliminaux.

Se você procura pelo artigo em Português, ver Áudios subliminares.

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Apostolopoulos, Aris (16 September 2019). "The Bizarre Phenomenon of Subliminal YouTube Videos". Vice.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fitnico (20 April 2021). "ENGAÑA ADOLESCENTES CON AUDIOS SUBLIMINALES". YouTube (es).
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Mahdi, Ziba (24 November 2021). "Subliminals on YouTube: What is it?". The Daily Star.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 ScareTheater (2 February 2024). "The Vile World of Underground Subliminals". YouTube (en).
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 No_Oven3958 (17 April 2023). "Why is there no scientific evidence that subliminals can change physical features?". r/Subliminal (en).
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Vokey, John R. (1992). "Subliminal Messages". In A. P. D'Amato, S. E. Hampson, A. R. E. C. (Eds.), The Psychology of the 21st Century: An Introduction to Cognitive Psychology. The Ohio State University Press. p. 237–250.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Conner, Kurtis (22 March 2019). "The Strange World of YouTube Subliminals". YouTube.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 Derker Bluer (22 January 2025). "Los TURBIOS Audios Subliminales de YouTube". YouTube (es).
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Adrixo (28 June 2025). "SUBLIMINALS EXPLAINED BY AN EX SUBLIMINAL CREATOR | How to use them CORRECTLY". YouTube (en).
  10. 10.0 10.1 moza morph (8 July 2021). "Basics Of Subliminal part 1: WHAT IS SUBLIMINAL? {explained}". YouTube (en).
  11. moza morph (11 September 2022). "MUST WATCH MANIFESTATION GUIDE if you feel you never get any result". YouTube (en).
  12. 12.0 12.1 Bruel, Benjamin (15 July 2019). "Sur YouTube, le troublant succès des vidéos subliminales". Korii (fr).
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 13.9 Tran, Emi Tuyetnhi (15 November 2021). "Inside the online world of people who think they can change their race". nbcnews.com (en).
  14. 14.0 14.1 vanillantern (9 February 2024). "Kpop subliminals are unhealthy and prey on insecurities". r/kpop_uncensored (en).