• einlander@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        https://www.health.harvard.edu/mental-health/the-power-of-the-placebo-effect

        A study led by Kaptchuk and published in Science Translational Medicine explored this by testing how people reacted to migraine pain medication. One group took a migraine drug labeled with the drug’s name, another took a placebo labeled “placebo,” and a third group took nothing. The researchers discovered that the placebo was 50% as effective as the real drug to reduce pain after a migraine attack.

        The researchers speculated that a driving force beyond this reaction was the simple act of taking a pill. “People associate the ritual of taking medicine as a positive healing effect,” says Kaptchuk. “Even if they know it’s not medicine, the action itself can stimulate the brain into thinking the body is being healed.”

          • MolochAlter@lemmy.world
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            7 months ago

            Yeah, pain is more tangible and actually experienced, whereas what society actually looks like is 99% vibes and personal biases.

            So this applies even more to sociology than to painkillers.