Two guests talked about subliminal messaging, and the psychology of images and perception. Appearing in the second hour, former advertising executive and founder of Ignite Productions, Jeff Warrick discussed his research on mass manipulation and subliminal messaging in a wide variety of media formats. Research has shown that the effects of subliminal messages are subjective, and can vary from person to person. However when negative words are flashed subliminally, they have a higher impact than positive words, and when the message is tailored to a specific person, it will create a heightened response, he detailed. Warrick also touched on how subliminals have been used in music, war propaganda, and politics.

In the latter half, Eldon Taylor, a doctor of Psychology and Metaphysics, addressed the technology and power of subliminal communications. Marketers have become quite sophisticated, using fMRI to look at the brain live, to watch how people respond to information, he reported. Subliminal communication can be thought of as information that is not being attended to by critical consciousness, and it's a "double-edged sword," which can be used for both positive and negative purposes.

For instance, it can accelerate learning, and lower anxiety and aggression, but more and more it's being used in pernicious ways in many different environments, he reported. Currently, there are no laws in place against the usage of subliminals-- a campaign to regulate them was quashed by the advertising lobby in the 1980s. Taylor warned that "neuro-marketers" are going to be using more and more of this technology, such that it will be woven into the fabric of our society.

Anxiety Epidemic

First hour guest, medical intuitive and UCLA psychiatrist Judith Orloff M.D. talked about the uptick in people's anxiety and depression. "There's an epidemic of exhaustion and people are tense all over," and many are self-medicating with alcohol and drugs, she noted. To counteract, people have to learn how to not absorb the negative energy of the world, she suggested, adding that performing an unexpected act of kindness, such as letting someone cut in front of you in line, can help shift energy in a positive direction.

News segment guests: Lauren Weinstein, Robert Zimmerman, Peter Davenport