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How we change what others think, feel, believe and do
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How we change what others think, feel, believe and do |
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Placebo Effect
Explanations > Theories > Placebo Effect Description | Example | So What? | See also | References
DescriptionThe 'placebo effect' occurs where ineffective medical interventions have actual effect. For example where a doctor gives a patient a non-pharmaceutical pill, yet the patient responds as if it was pharmaceutically effective. The placebo effect for pills increases with:
The reason the placebo works is because the patient believes it will be effective. There may also be some conditioning effect. The credibility of the person administering the placebo is hence another important factor, as is the manner of administration. Alternative medicines, from acupuncture to homeopathy have been considered as working primarily (or completely) due to the placebo effect. 'Quack medicines' peddled by charlatans depend for their success on the placebo effect. Doctors know that this often works, which is why they use it when there is no clear alternative. There is an ethical dilemma with using a placebo, as it necessarily involves deception. The placebo is by no means a cure-all and there are many diseases where it has no effect. The effect also varies with the individual, their credulity and how convinced other people they meet are that it will work. More generally, the 'placebo effect' is also used to describe any situation where suggestion is used to some effect or where the principle of 'mind over body' is significant. 'Placebo' is Latin for 'I shall please'. The 'nocebo effect' (Latin for 'I will harm') is a reverse of the placebo, where interventions have a negative effect. ExampleA person complains of regular headaches and normal analgesics do not seem to have an effect. A doctor prescribes a placebo but says it is a new wonder-drug. The headaches magically disappear. So What?Using itMake suggestions that people will be able to do something or something will happen to them because of some intervention you have used. DefendingIf you are unsure that people have good intent for you, beware of them making linked suggestions. It it still always a good idea to believe doctors. See alsoBelief Bias, Belief Perseverance, Classical Conditioning, Source Credibility ReferencesBeecher, H.K. (1955). The Powerful Placebo, Journal of the American Medical Association, 159, 17 Kennedy, W P. (1961). The Nocebo Reaction. Medical World, 95, 203-205
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