For centuries, humanity has been plagued by various phobias. Such people are strange creatures: we must be afraid of something. Moreover, if children are afraid, for example, of the dark, then adults need something more serious.
Today we will talk about a fairly common horror story of the 20th century - the effect of the 25th frame, which, it turns out, many are afraid of. And completely in vain.
How the myth was born
It all began with the fact that in 1957, businessman James Vykeri conducted the following experiment in New Jersey cinemas. During the screening of the film "Picnic", with the help of an additional projector, shots of hidden advertising were shown (they contained the words: "Drink Coca-Cola" and "Eat popcorn"). Films were shown in the cinema throughout the summer of 1957, and, according to the businessman, during this time the sale of Coca-Cola in the cinema buffet increased by 17%, and popcorn by 50%. Vykeri patented this technology and started a company for subliminal (out of mind) advertising in films.
The new information immediately interested psychologists and sociologists, and Vykeri was asked to describe the experiment in more detail, but the businessman refused. Then he was asked to once again demonstrate the effect of the 25th frame. Waikery agreed, and the screening took place in January 1958. In the hall where the film was shown, there were congressmen, government officials, scientists, cameramen and journalists. The result was disastrous: Vykeri's conclusions were not confirmed.
Later, the businessman agreed to conduct an experiment on all television stations of the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC). Viewers who did not know what kind of message would be offered watched the show for half an hour. where the 25th frame was placed in the video sequence with the appeal: "Call right now!" But there was no noticeable increase in the number of phone calls. Instead, CBC received thousands of letters in which viewers reported inexplicable urges to grab a can of beer, have a snack, go to the toilet, change the channel, and so on. That is, none of those who watched the program fell under the influence of the hidden frame.
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And what is the effect?
Nevertheless, the myth of the 25th frame effect turned out to be surprisingly tenacious: references to it still appear on the pages of the media and even in lectures to students specializing in advertising. Moreover, a number of states have passed laws prohibiting the use of the notorious effect in commercials shown on television. In particular, Russian legislation prohibits the use of the 25th frame, as well as other methods of hidden advertising (Federal Law "On Advertising" dated March 13, 2006).
So, what is this very 25th frame, the impact of which on the public is feared by many? Traditionally, it is believed that the eye of a person watching a movie cannot distinguish more than 24 frames per second. In fact, this is not so: the ability to perceive frames depends on the clarity of the edge of the picture and the speed of movement of objects on the screen. So sometimes we can see not only 25, but also 26 frames per second.
The adherents of the theory about the harmful influence of the 25th frame on a person argue that a foreign frame, shown for less than 1/24 of a second, bypassing consciousness, affects the subconscious of a person. That is, the information contained in this frame is remembered by a person, although he does not see it. Well, since it is remembered, then at some point the brain can force a person to use it. That is, if the shot says: "Kill your neighbor," - a person can feel inexplicable aggression, go and kill. The imposed information is perceived without will, and in this way it is similar to hypnosis. So you can inspire a person with a desire to commit any act.
Neurophysiologists know the truth
Neurophysiologists can confirm that this is impossible in principle. The fact is that the brain of any living being, including humans, perceives only the information it receives from the receptors. What they cannot grasp does not exist for him! So if a person does not see the 25th frame, then the image on it will not be perceived by the visual receptors and will not reach the brain.
However, if people still managed to see this very frame, even if it is not clear, then it is another matter - the information will reach the corresponding centers of the brain and undergo processing there. But the brain is unlikely to pay attention to it. Why? Because we per unit of time through the organs of sight and hearing perceive such a large amount of information that our brain is forced to sort it every second. He selects from the incoming data only the most important, and everything that was not clearly perceived by him is immediately erased.
Just a dump
It is quite obvious that the information recorded in the notorious 25th frame also falls into such a "dump". By the way, as the experiments of neurophysiologists have shown, almost all people see it, although not very clearly. Scientists have found that absolutely every frame is marked by the eye of the observer, but because of the inertia of vision, it merges with others and therefore is not distinguished by our consciousness. Thanks to the same effect, it is possible to notice an "extra" advertising frame, and many tested people even managed to read a short word if it was typed in large print and was familiar to the viewer. However, they forgot him after a few minutes. So there is no need to talk about any complex commands. A person will immediately forget them, which means that the 25th frame cannot have any effect on our subconscious.
Moreover, back in 1957, specialists from RCA (The Radio Corporation of America), which was at that time the largest television corporation, studied the technical part of the issue. Experts said that since the electron beam takes a certain time to scan the surface of the tube and since the phosphorus applied to it is very inertial, it is technically impossible to get an image on television that would be invisible to the eyes. And the American Psychological Association denied all of Vykery's claims back in 1958.
How did it end?
James Vykeri reacted to this very predictably: in June 1958, he disappeared, closing all his bank accounts and leaving no trace. At the same time, he took with him about $ 22.5 million - money transferred to him by companies that wanted to use the technology he patented. In 1962, Vykeri was caught, and during the investigation, he confessed that the 1957 experiment was deliberately falsified by him.
The fraudster was sent to prison, but the myth created by the media began to spread around the world. Until now, among the advertisements one can find the following messages: "Removal of alcohol and drug addiction through the effect of the 25th frame." And what is most interesting, many go to such "doctors" and pay them a lot of money, without even thinking that someone is simply earning on their ignorance!
By the way, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, gypsy fortune-tellers most often deceive educated people, and not those who graduated from high school with a creak. This happens because people with education, as a rule, read or heard something about gypsy hypnosis, and those whose head is not burdened with knowledge, immediately sent scammers … where to go!
Viacheslav SHPAKOVSKY
"Secrets of the XX century" January 2012