Most people don’t know that vision affects behaviour, attention, learning and processing. Different parts of our brain are activated through different stimuli. We, at GreenSeas Trust utilised the principles of peripheral vision when we designed our eye-catching BinForGreenSeas to change littering behaviour. We wanted to subconsciously raise awareness of the threat to marine environments from plastic pollution and also proactively encourage passers-by to recycle their plastic bottles.
Think about how much information is presented in front of our eyes; colours, shapes, movement, lights, pictures, text and more. Each is vying for attention, yet our eyes can filter this vast amount of information, and bring the important parts to the forefront of our conscious mind.
Visual perception happens when the eye focuses light on the retina. Cells within the retina change light into a series of electrochemical signals which are then transmitted to the brain allowing it to make sense of what the eyes see. The process can take a mere 13 milliseconds, according to a 2017 study at MIT.
The 3 parts of the brain that help makes decisions
It may sound like a lots of psycho-babble, but much research has gone into differentiating the way the mind works. Put simply, there are three types. The conscious mind is what we’re actively thinking about. It contains all of the thoughts, memories and feelings we are aware at any given moment. You can control the conscious mind and focus its attention. For example, when deciding to pick up a book and read, that’s your conscious mind at work.
The subconscious mind is what we’ve learned and stored in our brain. It’s like a vast library of memories, emotions, beliefs, and habits. You may not always be aware of what’s in your subconscious, but it still influences your behaviour, emotions, and reactions.
Finally, the unconscious mind, where we hold our memories, initial impressions, instincts and first experiences.
Subconscious prompts from the BinForGreenSeas
The subconscious mind does not think or reason independently; it merely obeys the commands itreceives from our conscious mind. We might not even notice our reactions but they are strong enough to cause us to act. If we begin to ‘think’ in a different way, to become aware of the message being delivered by an object, then change is possible. The way the subconscious mind works will not only affect your behaviour but it will also affect your perception. This is why motivational speakers can have big impacts on people.
The BinForGreenSeas colours, its lifebuoy shape, its 1.5m size and emotive messaging were all chosen to trigger both the direct and subconscious parts of the mind.
Colours have a powerful impact on the subconscious mind. Our brain associates different colours to certain emotions and moods without us being aware of it. Colours like red usually represents danger, heat and stop. Green represents go and the environment. White represents purity etc. GreenSeas Trust chose the colours of a life-ring, orange and white, to represent the saving of life. In our case, saving marine life.
Is it Working?
Yes! Our 21 BinsForGreenSeas collects around 979000 PET bottles annually, stopping them from entering the waterways and seas. Councils where the bins have been there the longest have reported even better collection rates. The visual cues of our bins may not be instantaneous, but we can vouch for the fact they work.