Graphic obtained from Hartmann, Helena, Jonas Potthoff, Livia Asan and Ulrike Bingel, “The Nocebo Effect: The Placebo’s ‘Evil Twin,’” in “Frontiers for Young Minds,” April 21, 2023, https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2023.853490. Figure created using Canva, https://www.canva.com/.
Citizen Science No. 6 by Jamie Zvirzdin
The Power of the Placebo Effect, Part II: When Belief Brings Harm
Watch out! That medicine will make you sick! You’ll regret taking it!”
Words hold immense power over our minds and bodies. Just as Dumbo believed in the magic feather and flew across the circus tent—even after he learned the feather was a placebo, an empty talisman—our beliefs can shape our experiences in unexpected ways. However, there is a darker side to this phenomenon—the “nocebo” effect. Brace yourself as we now step into the darker shadows of the circus tent and explore the impact of negative expectations on the human psyche.
Derived from the Latin phrase meaning “I shall harm,” the nocebo effect is the evil twin of the placebo effect, which we talked about last month in “Citizen Science” (access past articles online at www.allotsego.com). The nocebo effect happens when we experience adverse symptoms or side effects after receiving a treatment—even from an inert substance, like an empty sugar pill. The pill harms us simply because we believe it will cause us harm. The mind’s ability to manifest these negative outcomes is a fascinating yet troubling aspect of our psychological makeup.
