Most people are probably familiar with the placebo effect, but may not be aware of its less popular cousin, and opposite, the nocebo effect. According to the latest research, this mysterious phenomenon is perhaps more prevalent than many people realize, even medical professionals.
Let’s define them both.
The placebo effect occurs when someone is receiving either medication or having a medical procedure and experiences positive results even though the treatment or medication is inert. An example would be a clinical trial studying the effects of a new drug. There is usually a control group of participants given a “placebo,” often a sugar pill, that looks identical to the actual drug but contains no active ingredients….