Study shows placebos can work even if you know it's a placebo

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Placebo Effect Benefits Patients Even When They Knowingly Take a Fake Pill

This is a little bit disturbing. (A kind of belief in belief, perhaps? Like, "I know a placebo is where you take a fake pill but it makes you feel better anyway if you believe it's real medicine, so I'd better believe this is real medicine!")

Though it's too bad they (apparently) didn't have a third group who received a placebo that they didn't know was a placebo, to compare the effect size.

Edit: Here's the actual study. RolfAndreassen points out that its results may not actually be strong evidence for what is being claimed.

Placebo Effect Benefits Patients Even When They Knowingly Take a Fake Pill

Though it's too bad they (apparently) didn't have a third group who received a placebo that they didn't know was a placebo, to compare the effect size.

Edit: Here's the actual study. RolfAndreassen points out that its results may not actually be strong evidence for what is being claimed.

I wonder how far he can take it.

If he can't find aspirin, can he write "aspirin" on a piece of paper and put that in his pocket? Can he just imagine doing it? Or can he do absolutely nothing and have it still go away?

I've wondered that myself, though I've never asked. I expect he could train himself to eliminate the headaches without the ritual, were he inclined to do so.

7ata15y

Regarding writing it on a piece of paper: apparently some homeopaths actually do that. (And this is regarded by mainstream homeopaths as superstitious pseudoscience.)

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Study shows placebos can work even if you know it's a placebo

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Study shows placebos can work even if you know it's a placebo

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