“Honest” placebos: Sugar pills can work even when you know they’re fake (Rich Haridy, February 22, 2025, New Atlas)
A fascinating study published in 2018 found patients suffering from cancer-related fatigue displayed significant improvement in their symptoms after being given an inert placebo. All the subjects were told at the beginning of the trial that the pills they were given contained no active pharmacological ingredients, yet a notable placebo effect was still detected. The research was just one piece of evidence in a compelling body of work suggesting “honest” placebos could play a role in certain kinds of clinical treatments.
It’s all in your head…