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[Nilocy]

Currently procrastinating as much as I can as I have a psychology exam tomorrow, I thought I'd share some thoughts on it:

The power of the placebo is immense, it derives from mostly percieved or actual authority figure telling you what something does and you believing it does. This is seen through depression medicines; if a doctor gives you sugar tablets and says they'll stop your depression theres a high chance you'll stop feeling depressed. And more interestingly, is the issues with social stigma's. If enough people tell you that you are a certain type of person, the more likely you are to become one. For example; researchers took a bunch of smokers, and told half of them that they were chosen to do a study because they were heavy smokers, and the other half light smokers. The heavy smokers were more likely to call themselves addicts than the other group. This is also true for other people who use harder substances like heroin, the more society labels you as an addict the more your inclined to believe it, even if it isn't true.

Any interesting examples you lot know of? Or just general thoughts on this?

[Leafsnail]

There are some interesting examples that are closer to home.  For instance, if you drink decaffinated coffee when you think it's regular, you tend to get a very similar boost.  You'll also see that people feel noticably better right after taking almost any form of medication (such as cough mixture) even though the medicine has clearly had no time to work.

Although, apparently, there can be drawbacks.  If a doctor gives you a phoney drug, in addition to feeling the effects of the "drug" you can also get side effects.  The nocebo affect is thought to be just as powerful, although there is a lack of research into this area, for fairly obvious ethical reasons.

[ChairmanPoo]

Decaffeinated coffee (and tea, for that matter) still have quite a bit of caffeine, so I dont know if that's a good example.

[Neonivek]

In many ways hypnosis itself functions through the process of placebo.

It basically functions by disabling or weakening your ability of criticle analysis (your ability to say "This isn't true"). So from then on in a similar way that a Placebo functions because you believe it to, so does any suggestion under hypnosis. Though Hypnosis is a bit short term.

Other Placebo effects are caused not so much that an authority says so but because a person needs to either accept it or a worse outcome. I REALLY should give an example to follow this... But basically if someone is in a hopeless situation, they are likely to fully believe an alternative even if that alternative is rediculous.

As for Decaffeinated, it may be a Placebo... It also could be because you trained your body so that it basically conserved energy until you drink coffie.

[umiman]

Placebo effect is really cool. It's one of those sweet deals where you can know all about placebo effects, like that cough syrup thing, and still feel the placebo effect even though you know it's totally a placebo effect.

Isn't that cool?

[Neonivek]

Placebo effect is really cool. It's one of those sweet deals where you can know all about placebo effects, like that cough syrup thing, and still feel the placebo effect even though you know it's totally a placebo effect.

Isn't that cool?

Sure it is cool, when it is on your side.

People have died from Placebo effects (from the placebo aspect, not because they took a placebo and it didn't cure them)

[ChairmanPoo]

...I think not.

[umiman]

Sounds like bullshit to me. Usual Neonivek-ian style bull.

[Neonivek]

No, I am not making it up. It isn't well known here because we don't deal with that type of stuff but it has been well documented.

Though looking at the information it seems it is still being contested in the medical community, though not the information in general. Just the idea that it could cause death in it of itself.

Though someone believing they are ill and dying because they stop eating would be the same thing in my mind and is proven.

[Osmosis Jones]

People have died from Placebo effects (from the placebo aspect, not because they took a placebo and it didn't cure them)

[Citation Needed]

For example; researchers took a bunch of smokers, and told half of them that they were chosen to do a study because they were heavy smokers, and the other half light smokers. The heavy smokers were more likely to call themselves addicts than the other group. This is also true for other people who use harder substances like heroin, the more society labels you as an addict the more your inclined to believe it, even if it isn't true.

That example suffers from a hell of a selection bias...

[cowofdoom78963]

Do you think that if I ate sugar everytime I got sick and said that it would cure me that it would somehow change the efficency of my immune system and heal me?

[Neonivek]

Do you think that if I ate sugar everytime I got sick and said that it would cure me that it would somehow change the efficency of my immune system and heal me?

It is very difficult to trick yourself into believing such things anyhow.

[Duke 2.0]

Do you think that if I ate sugar everytime I got sick and said that it would cure me that it would somehow change the efficency of my immune system and heal me?

It is very difficult to trick yourself into believing such things anyhow.

"Here, this shot contains our vaccine for this round of the flu."

[cowofdoom78963]

Do you think that if I ate sugar everytime I got sick and said that it would cure me that it would somehow change the efficency of my immune system and heal me?

It is very difficult to trick yourself into believing such things anyhow.

Not really, all I have to say is "This sugar will cure me" and I will believe it.

Why wouldent I if it was in my better interest?

[Duke 2.0]

 I think the placebo effect works more with the subconscious than anything else, and if you get the feeling that it might be a placebo effect then it might not work despite how much you want it to help you. Thus you need another guy to tell you that the saline contains drugs.