The Mere Exposure Effect

Studies suggest that people tend to gravitate more towards things that are familiar to them.This means if I expose you to certain information over and over again - it becomes normal to you.

Things that were not historically accepted by society are now accepted because of the increased familiarity that comes from repeated exposure.The oldest known study on the effect was carried out in 1876 by Gustav Fechner.

I write about this because I have a question for you , what are you being exposed to over and over again? This will leave behind indelible marks on your psyche .Many of us pay little or no attention to content and ideas that are continually being presented to us .

One common example of the Mere Exposure Effect in the present world is the prevalence of brand advertising on social media platforms. As users scroll through their feeds, they are repeatedly exposed to advertisements from various brands. Over time, this repeated exposure can lead to increased familiarity and liking of those brands, even if individuals don't consciously engage with or remember the specific advertisements.

The reality that this Effect is in existence may be positive or negative;depending on its outcome .It is common knowledge that children raised in abusive families tend to gravitate towards abusive partners or become the abuser themselves.This is because to them family or love has become synonymous with abuse and pain because of what they were exposed to whilst growing up.

What have you been exposed to that has shaped you attitude thinking and your character ?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Imagine You Are A Success

Psychology says that we are controlled by what we think, believe or imagine more than any other factor. Our beliefs control everything we do, If we believed (or rather imagined) that wearing clothes was useless, we would all be walking around naked. It is very imperative that we understand that we control our lives through the type of thoughts we choose to hold in our minds. Take the person who jumps in front of a speeding car on the highway(commits suicide), in their mind their action is justified and probably seen as necessary hence it is carried out. Now that i have laid my foundation... In his book Psychocybernetics, Maxwell Maltz says "Realizing that our actions, feelings and behavior are the e result of our own images and beliefs gives us the lever that psychology has always needed for changing personality.Mental pictures offer us an opportunity to "practice" new traits and attitudes, which otherwise we could not do.  This is possible because again—your nervous sy...
Read more

The Unwritten Rules of Africa: Navigating a Complex Identity (Economics part 1)

The economic life of the African continent is shaped by a complex mix of historical events and current realities. To truly understand it, we must examine the deep-rooted challenges and psychological patterns that emerged from centuries of outside control and resource extraction. A History of Economic Struggle The rule of economic struggle is deeply rooted in a colonial history of dependency. Foreign powers didn't just come to trade; they methodically took apart existing African economies. They dismissed local practices as "outdated" and forced new systems upon the people. This historical redirection of resources created a fundamental weakness, turning the continent into a mere supplier of raw materials. All the infrastructure they built, like railways and ports, was primarily designed to transport these resources from inland to the coast for export. This framework created an economic gap and a dependency that has continued long after African nations gained their independe...
Read more

A Transformed Mind

Many of us are rigid in thought hence we are stagnant in life. The good news is that we have the ability to change our minds - our thought patterns (perceptions, beliefs..) One of my prayers these days is "God transform my mind". That is because i am well aware that if my mind is transformed, my life will be transformed. Our thoughts are often revealed in our actions. I am writing this right now because an idea came into my mind and i thought it was a great idea to express my revelation about my life in this manner. The action is preceded by thought. The word transformation is a compound word - transition & form or "formation". A transition takes time so it is imperative that we are patient and recognize that it will take time for our minds to be transformed. Transformation is a process often filled with pain and fear. That does not mean we must not persue change but bear in mind that it will be challenging.  Behaviors and/or habits lead to results but we often ...
Read more