Indeed. But we’ve got to ask - is the increasing effectiveness of the placebo effect correlated with a dumbing down of the population (eg the increasing prevale

Indeed. But we’ve got to ask - is the increasing effectiveness of the placebo effect correlated with a dumbing down of the population (eg the increasing prevalence of anti-scientific views and the mistrust of authorities)? If so, one could foresee a time when the underlying anti-scientific views are cemented by some kind of widespread “scandal”, at which point one might expect the placebo affect to start diminishing in efficacy (if it is related to a belief in modern medicine). So, long-term it may be a bad sign. EDITED: spelling and grammar fixes.