this post was submitted on 26 May 2024
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Science Memes

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Placeboz (mander.xyz)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 111 points 5 months ago (6 children)

The funny thing is that the "extra strength" placebos likely have a better chance of working. The more elaborate and involved the placebo is, the greater the chance of it actually working even if you know it is a placebo. Our minds are weird. As always, I'm too lazy to look up the actual study so I don't know if it was a quality study or not.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago

This reminded me of an episode of Mind Field, which shows significant improvent in cases of ADHD, Migraines, and a skin picking disorder in kids just through the placebo effect.

They use elaborate set ups and suggestions like a turned off MRI machine, fake nurses and doctors in lab coats, etc. And the kids are actually told, that it's their brain doing the healing, not the machine.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago

Somebody from Behavioural Economics has actually shown a nocebo effect for something with genuine positive health effects when people tought it was an ultra cheap version.

The story of that is in one of the Freakonomics books.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I believe it's red placebos that are better at helping with pain.

The brain is a fucky old thing.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

It's been a while since I looked at this, but different color pills "work" better for different ailments. Also the size and numbers of pills effect results as well. Two pills are "stronger" than one, bigger pills over smaller as well.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

But you also might get more nocebos where you get negative effects from the placebo

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Trick yourself better you rube.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Gaslight yourself to health

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

Yeah, I heard that the placebo effect for pain meds is stronger in the US (than in Europe?) because there's more advertisment for it in the US (how they made sure this is causation and not correlation I have no idea, though ...)

[–] [email protected] 57 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The important thing is that you believe there was a study ;p

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, I haven't read the study of course. Only read about it. Which makes the claim above even more dubious. But hey, this is the future, who has the time to fact check anymore?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago

You could ask an AI, maybe they'll invent a source for you

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you only read about it that gives it 50% chance at best at being true. Luckily I also read about it, so together that makes it 100% true.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

Math checks out.