The Power of Planting a Seed

In a perfect world, we’d like for change to be immediate and instantaneous. Perhaps it’s human nature to seek instant gratification or feel the present power of influence. This can be seen in the frustration of a parent giving their teenager sound advice that is immediately dismissed, a client in therapy that seems ambivalent to a different perspective, co-workers who are resistant to change, or even spouses that struggle with decision-making. Oftentimes, change and influence don’t happen in the moment, but rather work behind the scenes. Over time, these seemingly insignificant moments of advice or feedback settle into the subconscious, needing time to simmer before they can shape our thoughts and decisions in ways we may not even recognize. This is the power of planting a seed: the unspoken forces that guide personal growth, challenge beliefs, and lead to shifts we might not have been ready for when we encountered them. Research has been able to demonstrate the power of subconscious influence through numerous research studies focusing on unconscious goal activation, priming, framing, and the delayed effect.

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Unconscious Goal Activation and Priming

Unconscious goal activation refers to pursuing a goal without conscious awareness of doing so. Have you ever heard the saying “you become who you associate with"? This is a great example of unconscious goal activation. Associating with driven, goal-directed individuals can subconsciously shape our desires for the same things. Conversely, the opposite can be true too. Priming is the psychological phenomenon in which exposure to a certain stimulus such as a word, sound, or image influences our response to a later stimulus.

In a study by Bargh et al. (2001), researchers were able to demonstrate that priming participants with specific goals (eg. achieving high performance or cooperating) led to behaviors aligned with those goals, even though participants were unaware of the priming. For instance, individuals primed with achievement-related cues performed better on intellectual tasks, while those primed with cooperation-related cues were more inclined to share resources. Importantly, these unconsciously activated goals exhibited characteristics similar to consciously set goals, including guiding behavior and adapting to situational demands. Additionally, in one of his most famous studies, Bargh et al. (1996) was able to demonstrate how priming participants with certain stereotypic elderly words such as “Florida” or “Bingo” resulted in those participants walking out of the building at a slower pace than those exposed to neutral words.

Framing

Which sounds more compelling to action: “Respond now and you can save $20” or “Respond now or you can lose $20.” The framing effect is the idea that people’s cognitive biases are influenced by how information is presented, rather than the information itself. The way a choice is framed, whether in positive (gain) or negative (loss) terms, can significantly affect perception and behavior. Examples of framing are seen in marketing and advertising constantly. For instance, “Buy One, Get One Free” sounds better than “50% off when you buy two” and “$9.99 per month” sounds better than “$120 per year” even though the price doesn’t change.

In my clinical work, I often teach parents the power of framing to guide behavior with their children. For instance, “you need to eat your vegetables” is almost immediately met with resistance from a 6-year-old. But saying "if you eat these veggies, they will help you grow big and strong like Superman” fosters an opportunity that a child can take control to make themselves better, which can further perpetuate good decision-making. Framing can also be used in therapy when helping clients through distorted thinking patterns using reality checks. Asking a client, “What is the probability of the worst-case scenario [event X] happening?” Many clients may say 10%, 25%, or sometimes even 50%. Responding with, “so there is a 90% (75% or 50%) chance that the worst-case scenario will not happen.” This pulls clients out of the automatic distorted thoughts, creates a reality check, and influences positive perception through framing.

The Delayed Effect

In short, just because something doesn’t seem to have an immediate impact doesn’t mean it isn’t working; it may just need time to take root and produce results. Have you ever thought of making a purchase on an item but decided not to in the moment? Over the next few days or weeks, you keep coming back to the thought of the item until you finally end up purchasing it two weeks later. Or, when someone gives you advice that you don’t seem to resonate with, only to find yourself giving the same advice to someone later on. Feedback may not seem relevant or useful in the moment, perhaps because we aren’t ready to hear it, it may feel too challenging to our current mental schemas, or our own personal resistance.

Change is rarely immediate, and true transformation typically occurs beneath the surface, taking time to influence thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. Whether through unconscious goal activation, priming, framing, or the delayed effect, research demonstrates that subtle influences shape our perceptions and actions long before we consciously recognize them. With time, these subconscious influences resurface, shaping future decisions and behaviors in ways we may not have known. The true power of change lies not in forcing immediacy, but in trusting the process, knowing that even the smallest ideas can create lasting impact when given time to grow. And thus lies the power of planting a seed.