Psychologist Carl Hovland coined the term ‘Sleeper Effect’ during World War II.
The term is used to describe the unique psychological experience whereby humans generally forget the source of an argument or concept, before they forget the message.
This is the effect which makes propaganda, advertising and gossip so effective. During World War II, it was found that soldiers who knew they were watching propaganda films often discredited these films, calling them propaganda.
However, after retesting the soldiers several weeks later, many of the soldiers had begun to believe the core messages of these films. The same is true for advertising and gossip.
Although we might be sceptical upon reading or hearing something at first (especially when we question the source), the core message often sticks and we start recalling stories with: ‘I don’t know where I read this but…’ ‘Or I remember hearing somewhere that…’
This can have negative effects to both us and others. To avoid this: think about where a message is coming from and try to remember the source.
This might seem like extra effort when making a decision, but it can help avoid bad decisions.
