“Sometimes it’s better to seem than to be”, we’ve all heard this expression at some point. The truth is that “seeming” really does have some effect. The famous Placebo Effect.
But what is the Placebo Effect?
Placebo is understood as a substance or treatment that does not contain specific therapeutic ingredients, but which can cause real effects in the patient due to their belief or expectation that they are receiving an effective treatment.
But what are the mechanisms that make this Placebo Effect valid?
In general, there are two mechanisms that shape expectations that make the placebo effect effective:
1 - Beliefs, trust or faith in the medicine, treatment or the professional administering it.
2 - Conditioning – the body develops expectations after repeated experiences and releases various chemicals in preparation for the future (as in Pavlov's famous dog experiment).
But does this effect really work?
In a study, participants in a 200m sprint race were tested. All participants were given the same inert drink (water + green food coloring), but with different information. Some were told that the drink would improve their performance, others that the drink may or may not improve their performance, and finally, some participants were told that the drink would not improve their performance. What was the final result? I think it is easy to guess…
- Positive information (drink improves performance) - (-2.41s)
- Partially positive information (the drink may or may not improve performance) - (-0.97s)
- Neutral information (the drink does not improve performance) - (-0.72s)
As expected, those who were told that the drink would improve their performance actually performed better, even though the drink did not contain any performance-enhancing substances.
Conclusion
The question is: should we or should we not take advantage of this effect to our advantage?
If the intervention already has practical benefits without causing considerable harm, enhancing its effect through these mechanisms can be an added value.
Rui Lopes
BMS Nutritionists