A Subliminal Solution to Road Rage?

March 17, 2009— -- "I am a safe, courteous and considerate driver... I remain relaxed, even in rush hour traffic."

In the commuter's world of gridlock, blaring horns and middle-fingered gestures, it may come as little surprise that some will soon look to these mantras to control their road rage tendencies.

What is surprising, though, is the way in which these messages are delivered. Developers of a new CD called "DriveTime Rx," due on shelves in April, say that these and other phrases are mixed into music on the disc in such a way that they are completely drowned out by the instrumental tracks.

But they say that even though drivers will never hear the "affirmations" being spoken, the messages will subliminally register in drivers' minds -- and possibly lead to safer, less aggressive driving.

Researchers in the field of subliminal messages panned the idea behind the new musical offering, maintaining that there is no research yet to suggest that hiding verbal cues in music affects behavior.

"I know of no good evidence that sub-audible messages have any effect on behavior at all," said Nicholas Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business.

But Steven Halpern, the mind behind the 15-track compilation, said he believes the brain is able to pick out these messages.

"The brain is able to decode and perceive information when it is upside-down, backwards and even distorted," he said. "In some ways, it is able to perceive information that is even below the threshold of conscious awareness."

Subliminal persuasion refers to the use of messages presented to individuals beneath their threshold of awareness aimed at influencing their attitudes, decisions or actions. By their very nature, subliminal messages are designed to be unnoticeable, flying under the radar of consciousness and setting up shop in the mind.

"The whole key is that you don't want to hear the words," Halpern said. "You want to blend the words into the music."