Free Will: Thing of the Past? Essay

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Free Will

The issue (not necessarily a "problem") of free will and to what extent people are influenced by subliminal / subtle advertising cues has been a subject of interest for many years, so this is an interesting but not an original problem. For me, I have always felt like I had the free will to make choices based on my desires and interests at the moment, but I am willing to challenge that assertion.

Am I another person that behaves differently when subtle or subliminal suggestions in my immediate environment set my wheels in motion? Or do I even need subliminal cues to take action in certain situations? I'm not in denial, but I wonder if I am more moved by physical stimuli (obvious stimuli) than by subtle, subliminal messages. In this journal entry I'm not insisting that I don't become influenced -- or that I'm not manipulated -- by the kinds of subliminal, subtle suggestions referenced in the article by Eben Harrell.

The Harrell piece suggests that people tend to drink more water after being "subliminally exposed" to drinking-related words. That may well be true for others. But for me, there is nothing subliminal about why I am sometimes motivated to drink more water.

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For example, do I go to the kitchen and fill my glass with purified drinking water after taking a shower simply because, with all that water cascading around and on me, I am psychologically and physiologically moved to consume more water?

I believe so, and in fact that's exactly what I often do after a shower; so I can challenge the need to be subliminally exposed in that instance. And otherwise I can't think of any time in which I am moved for some reason to go get a glass of water, unless of course I am thirsty or need water to take my vitamins.

That said, I'm not suggesting that I am immune to subtle, subliminal advertising, but I am fascinated by this subject and it makes me question why I make the choices that I do.

Meanwhile, there is nothing subliminal about some of the cues that advertising offers the viewer. In the Harrell article, Ruud Custers writes that soda commercials show the drink with "positive-reward cues such as friends or beaches." Speaking of beaches, there is series of classy beer commercials by Corona, which….....

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