In the Psychologist this month Christian Jarrett tells us 10 things about the placebo effect, which I will summarise here:
- It works even when you know it’s a placebo!
- Colours and branding help e.g. blue placebo pills make better sedatives than pink ones…
- Some people are more prone to it e.g.optimists (especially with analgesics).
- Some doctors are better at inducing it than others e.g. ones who are warm and friendly.
- It’s not just about pills and pain relief e.g. certain smells can make people feel and be more creative if they are told it does that…
- If you are told you have slept well you will be more alert the next day even if you have not slept so well….
- If you are told that you exercise more than your peers, you have better health outcomes even if you haven’t…
- The opposite of course is the nocebo effect – so be careful about reading the side effects on your medications!
- Expressive writing improves mental health even when the trauma is a made-up one….
- The effect appears to be getting better i.e. more of an effect can be contributed to placebos in trials and this has changed between the 90s and 2013…
