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Placeboz (mander.xyz)
submitted 6 months ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[-] katja 110 points 6 months ago

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.

[-] agentshags@sh.itjust.works 55 points 6 months ago

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

[-] katja 14 points 6 months ago

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?

[-] Klear@sh.itjust.works 10 points 6 months ago

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.

[-] katja 4 points 6 months ago

Math checks out.

[-] tja@sh.itjust.works 8 points 6 months ago

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

[-] variants@possumpat.io 15 points 6 months ago

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

[-] blanketswithsmallpox@lemmy.world 14 points 6 months ago

Trick yourself better you rube.

[-] xx3rawr@sh.itjust.works 6 points 6 months ago

Gaslight yourself to health

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.world 15 points 6 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.

[-] melooone@feddit.de 14 points 6 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.

[-] jlow@beehaw.org 7 points 6 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 ...)

[-] Blackmist@feddit.uk 6 points 6 months ago

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

The brain is a fucky old thing.

[-] Duranie@literature.cafe 6 points 6 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.

[-] smuuthbrane@sh.itjust.works 68 points 6 months ago

I only use brand name placebos. Generic doesn't work for me.

[-] Mycatiskai@lemmy.ca 4 points 6 months ago

I find you have to use twice as much to have any effect.

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 41 points 6 months ago

People wanna tell me there's no such thing as magic in a world where The Placebo Effect exists. Bro's got a low level healing spell that grows stronger the more he believes it works.

[-] MindTraveller@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 months ago

Also money. It only works if you believe in it, yet it controls all of society

[-] pyre@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

they work even when you know they're placebos. now that's magic.

[-] lars@lemmy.sdf.org 35 points 6 months ago

If it works. I do not care how.

[-] thatsTheCatch@lemmy.nz 2 points 6 months ago

I agree. However, to me, something feels wrong about companies making money selling a product to people with the promise that they work when they don't actually do anything in and of themselves. It's false advertising plus taking money out of people's pockets.

[-] Lev_Astov@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

IIRC, studies have also shown that the cost of the placebo had a direct correlation to the efficacy. Ah yes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4345649/

Conclusion:

Expensive placebo significantly improved motor function and decreased brain activation in a direction and magnitude comparable to, albeit less than, levodopa. Perceptions of cost are capable of altering the placebo response in clinical studies.

[-] lars@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 6 months ago

Oh my gosh. My brain is so stupid, is the author of this message.

[-] el_abuelo@lemmy.ml 1 points 6 months ago

It's not stupid if it works

[-] lugal@lemmy.ml 21 points 6 months ago

But be careful with the dose

[-] Aceticon@lemmy.world 5 points 6 months ago

Take too much of a placebo and you might end up with a nocebo side-effect.

[-] SurpriZe@lemm.ee 2 points 6 months ago

Just pretend you took an ephemeral pill. Placebos work like that too.

[-] ryan213@lemmy.ca 16 points 6 months ago

I just go with whatever's on sale.

[-] sik0fewl@lemmy.ca 8 points 6 months ago

For me, it's whatever is in the biggest bottle.

[-] ryan213@lemmy.ca 3 points 6 months ago

Sometimes the shiniest, too!

[-] 667@lemmy.radio 3 points 6 months ago

Old-timey labels appeal to me

[-] xx3rawr@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 months ago

What if the pharmacy has, like, a whole vat of them?

[-] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 9 points 6 months ago

I only use homeopathic placebos.

[-] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 4 points 6 months ago

Brand Named Extra Strength!

[-] popcap200@lemmy.ml 4 points 6 months ago

This is very true after learning about guaifenesin, phenylephrine, and Docusate Sodium.

[-] Muscar@discuss.online 1 points 6 months ago

Very relevant and pretty recent SciShow episode:

https://yewtu.be/watch?v=ouUlQowZT5o

this post was submitted on 26 May 2024
1108 points (100.0% liked)

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