[Psychology] The Nocebo Effect

[johngreenfield]

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Most of us have heard of and know something about the placebo effect, which occurs when positive expectations can bring about a more positive outcome. However I wasn't aware that it has a counterpart; the nocebo effect. No, it's not a late 90's alt rock band, but a psychological effect said to occur when negative expectations of a patient regarding treatment causes the treatment to have a more negative effect than it would have had otherwise. So for example, if you give a patient a substance and tell them that it will make them nauseous, then they will feel nauseous even if the substance given is inert i.e. sugar water.

Both the placebo and nocebo effects can cause measurable changes in the body and the brain. This suggests that mental states can strongly influence the things such as the perception of pain or even the success of a surgery. This could explain the perceived Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity that some people experience. As with most things, this isn't a perfect theory nor do we understand the underlying functions of this effect, but it's definitely interesting.

There are plenty of reputable studies looking into the nocebo effect, and I strongly urge you to look into it if it's something that interests you. Do you have any thoughts on the nocebo, or placebo effects? Let me know down in the comment section, and as always make sure to follow me for the latest Cryptocurrency, Internet and Pop Culture updates. Until next time, Peace!

Sources:
Nocebo on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo)
The nocebo effect and its relevance for clinical practice (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3167012/)
Image by Greg Williams through WikiMedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3384645)

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