See All Stories In

The Placebo Effect

When expectations provide relief

Placebo
Sugar Pills

It's amazing how a sugar pill can sometimes fix a dreaded ailment. Placebos are often prescribed, and sometimes to great therapeutic effect. Though the placebo throws a physician's honesty into question, many patients make lasting improvement.

Recent Posts on Placebo

The relationship between mental disorders and the profit motive.	A drink of water may boost test scores.	Where does emotion hurt in the body?	'Thinking cap' makes a virtually impossible problem — possible.
You say, Placebo; I say, Prove it.	Irving Kirsch's refusal to address critics reveals his argument's weakness.	Should we try to exploit the placebo effect?	What if We Held Psychotherapy to Same Standards as Medication?
Prescription rates remain high despite the drugs' well-documented risks.	A dose of oxytocin improves mind-reading.	Antidepressants work because they are placebos.	Children are especially open to the power of expectation

Find a Therapist

Find a nearby professional for face-to-face help

Health Blogs

A Spoonful of Sugar
Encouraging healthy behavior — with a dose of fun.
By Katrina S. Firlik, M.D.
Black Women's Health and Happiness
Insights into physical, mental, and spiritual health for women of color.
By Melody T. McCloud, M.D.
Body Sense
Restorative embodied self-awareness as a pathway to well-being.
By Alan Fogel
Critical Decisions
The ins and outs of our medical decisions
By Peter Ubel
Do the Right Thing
Spirit, science, and health.
By Thomas Plante, PhD
Dry Land Fish
Perspectives from the misplaced.
By April Herndon, Ph.D.
Getting Healthy Now
Remaking and regenerating ourselves to become what we want to be.
By Matthew J. Edlund, M.D.
Household Hazards
How everyday products make us sick.
By Paul D. Blanc, M.D., M.S.P.H.