Influence Unseen. Understanding the Sleeper Effect
The Hidden Power of Messages in Media and Fiction
During World War II, nations created propaganda films to rally support among citizens and soldiers. A psychologist named Carl Hovland identified a curious psychological phenomenon called the “sleeper effect.” Despite initial skepticism towards these films due to their overt propagandistic nature, soldiers who had viewed them demonstrated increased support for the war effort weeks later. Hovland conducted numerous studies with funding from the US military to learn more about this phenomenon.
In essence, the sleeper effect suggests that while the source of a message is quickly forgotten, the message itself persists and gains credibility over time. This effect is evident in political campaigns, advertisements, and various media platforms, where the content of a message eventually outweighs the initial negative perception of its source.
Fiction, in particular, harnesses the sleeper effect powerfully.
Aristotle once defined the poet’s function as:
to speak not of events which have occurred, but of the kinds of events which could occur, and are possible by the standards of probability and necessity.
