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> The current scientific consensus is that the placebo effect is a real healing effect operating through belief and suggestion. Wait what? I’ve never heard thi

> The current scientific consensus is that the placebo effect is a real healing effect operating through belief and suggestion. Wait what? I’ve never heard this being the scientific consensus. It’s more like the lay person’s view. I think that many scientists agree that the placebo effect is primarily a combination of regression to the mean and participant’s desire to please the experimenter (ie the literal definition of “placebo”).

zeroonetwothree 2y ago
For some psychological conditions there is also an effect from merely participating in a study. For example, if you have depression then the human interaction and feeling that someone cares about you has some therapeutic effect.
zigzag312 2y ago
What about a "reverse" effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_death
- luesterklemme 2y ago
  The "reverse" effect would be a Nocebo. Which also exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo
  - zigzag312 2y ago
    Thanks, that's a more accurate reverse effect to placebo. I was thinking in a wider sense, negative effect of mind on health instead of positive. It's intriguing to what extent it's speculated the mind is able to affect the physical health.
llm_nerd 2y ago
There is scientific consensus that placebos have a subjective effect on symptoms, argued to be some unknown internal/mental effect. This is very widely held in the medical sciences community, and has more broad acceptance than most things held as a so-called consensus. It is not and has never been a lay person thing. e.g. An article like https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-power-... is not kooky or controversial, or the creation of a lay person. It's the accepted understanding of what's happening -- at least what is seemingly happening -- as viewed by medical experts. As an aside, while placebo does come from Latin for "to please", you have it backwards. Placebos are to please either the patient or the participant, giving them a feeling that they're being treated/studied.

zeroonetwothree 2y ago

For some psychological conditions there is also an effect from merely participating in a study. For example, if you have depression then the human interaction and feeling that someone cares about you has some therapeutic effect.

zigzag312 2y ago

What about a "reverse" effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_death https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo_death

luesterklemme 2y ago
The "reverse" effect would be a Nocebo. Which also exists. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo
- zigzag312 2y ago
  Thanks, that's a more accurate reverse effect to placebo. I was thinking in a wider sense, negative effect of mind on health instead of positive. It's intriguing to what extent it's speculated the mind is able to affect the physical health.

llm_nerd 2y ago

There is scientific consensus that placebos have a subjective effect on symptoms, argued to be some unknown internal/mental effect. This is very widely held in the medical sciences community, and has more broad acceptance than most things held as a so-called consensus. It is not and has never been a lay person thing. e.g. An article like https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/the-power-... is not kooky or controversial, or the creation of a lay person. It's the accepted understanding of what's happening -- at least what is seemingly happening -- as viewed by medical experts. As an aside, while placebo does come from Latin for "to please", you have it backwards. Placebos are to please either the patient or the participant, giving them a feeling that they're being treated/studied.