Uploaded September 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Learn how the mere-exposure effect shapes preferences and decision-making in this 5:28 minute video lesson.

Some people think they are immune to ads. If you are one of them, you might not have heard of the mere exposure effect— a psychological phenomenon by which we tend to like things the more we are exposed to them. Beware, it takes just about 15 iterations for the effect to reach its full potential.

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This video was made with the support of our Patrons: Adam Berry, Alex Rodriguez, Andrea Basillio Rava, Anil Raut, ArkiTechy, Artur, azad bel, Badrah, Cedric.Wang, Christoph Becker, David Markham, Delandric Webb, Digital INnov8ors, Dr. Matthias Müller-Mellin, Duane Bemister, Elias Reuss, Eva Marie Koblin, Fatenah G Issa, Frari63, Gerry Labelle, Harmoniac Design, ICH KANN DEUTSCH UND ES WAR EINFACH!, Izzy, Jannes Kroon, Jeffrey Cassianna, Jim Pilgrim, Joanne Doyle, John Burghardt, Jorge Luis Mejia Velazquez, jun omar ebdane, Leonel, Liam Dalling, Linda Kinkead, Linus Linderoth, Lucia Simone Winston, Mambo no 9, Marcel, María, martin, Mathis Nu, Mezes.Macko, Michael Paradis, Natalie O’Brien, Okan Elibol, Oweeda Newton, Patricia Labovszky, Peihui, Povilas Ambrasas, Raymond Fujioka, Roel Vermeulen, Scott Gregory, scripz, Sebastian Huaytan Meder, Si, Solongo Ganbat, Stefan Gros, Stephen Clark, Stuart Bishop, Taka Kondo, Takashi HIROSE, Thomas Aschan, Victor Paweletz, Yassine Hamza, Yvonne Clapham and all the others.Thank you! To join them visit patreon.com/sprouts

COLLABORATORS
Script: Jonas Koblin
Artist: Pascal Gaggelli
Voice: Matt Abbott
Coloring: Sasalux
Editing: Peera Lertsukittipongsa
Production: Selina Bador
Fact-checking: Ludovico Saint Amour Di Chanaz
Sound Design: Miguel Ojeda

SOUNDTRACKS
A Toy’s Day Out - Shaun Frearson
Nice Toys - Studio Le Bus

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Today we know that the Mere Exposure Effect is so robust, that it can even be demonstrated on animals as an experiment with fertile chicken eggs has shown. Tones of two different frequencies were played to different groups of chicks while they were still unhatched. Once hatched, each tone was played to both groups of chicks. The chicks consistently chose the tone played to them prenatally.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robust_statistics

Read how recent studies also found that exposure is very linked to context and that the mere exposure effect disappears when we present the same item in a completely different context.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26120936

Learn more about subliminal stimuli
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subliminal_stimuli

Read about the mere-exposure effect and the science behind intuitive marketing.
https://bettermarketing.pub/side-effects-of-mere-exposure-marketing-ef6ea4053db8

SOURCES
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere-exposure_effect
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familiarity_heuristic
thedecisionlab.com/biases/mere-exposure-effect

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY
Visit our website to get access to recommended classroom activity on the topic!

CHAPTERS
00:00 The power of mere exposure
00:29 Mere exposure effect unveiled
00:49 Two main explanations
01:31 The discoverer of the effect
01:54 Zajonc’s experiment
03:04 Impact on advertising
03:54 What do you think?
04:30 Patrons credit
04:38 Ending

#sproutsschools #psychology #bias #mereexposure