What Is The Exposure Effect Of Something?
Has it ever occurred to you that you have started to like a song that you hate and then have started listening to it over and over again? Have you ever noticed that a person becomes friendlier the more time you spend with the person? This is what the exposure effect is about, which is currently very relevant in the study of human preferences.
It is also known as the familiarity effect, and this effect explains why our response becomes increasingly positive as we repeatedly expose ourselves to the same stimuli.
In fact, this reflects our liking for situations, people and objects that are familiar to us. But what are the factors that influence the emergence of this phenomenon? Keep reading to discover more about what it’s all about.
What is the exposure effect according to research?
Robert Zajonc is one of the authors who has studied this psychological effect. Ever since his first survey in 1876, he has shown the existence of this preference.
Words, sounds, photographs of faces… The person also seems to like better the people closest to him or her.
Researchers have conducted a study to test the effect of this effect when it comes to which food is preferred. To do this, they gave a group of students several tropical juices that they did not know before. Some tried them five times, others 10 and others 15. When asked which ones they liked best, there was a clear tendency to see those they drank the most as better.
Other researchers obtained the same results in studies of personal attraction. The more you see a person, the more sympathetic you will be to the person and the more you will prefer the person’s presence.
An unconscious phenomenon
But one of the most interesting aspects of the exposure effect is that it is necessary for the person to feel familiar with the stimulus. The effect also seems to be amplified under subliminal conditions.
Zajonc conducted a survey in which he showed various pictures of Chinese characters to the participants. The time that the person was exposed to each symbol was so short that the person did not have time to perceive what he saw in front of him.
The researchers told the characters that the signs represented adjectives and asked them to evaluate whether they had positive or negative connotations. The people who participated in the test group gave higher scores on the symbols they had already seen.
Of course, different companies have in mind how much they are visible in their advertising campaigns. If you recognize a logo, slogan or company image, you may be more likely to choose this specific product.
This mental approach could have explained why you feel more inclined to go to restaurants you already know when visiting a new city even though you want to explore the local market.
What causes the exposure effect?
Fechner authored one of the first studies to investigate this phenomenon. This German psychologist, who is the father of some of the current psychological theories, gives us an explanation for this effect. People tend to be scared or anxious when they are greeted by new elements.
However, one should be aware that one can get bored if one is constantly exposed to the same stimuli. This is because it limits the effect. If you eat the same thing every day, you will eventually hate this. And if you watch the same movie every day, it will no longer be as interesting.
This familiarity effect is therefore the basis of many of our preferences, even if we are not aware of it. Whether you are more or less adventurous and risk-averse, most of the decisions you make on a daily basis are governed by this effect.
The products you buy, the places you frequently stay and the people you like can all be affected by this principle. It is therefore important to become aware of how this affects the mind.
