It pays to believe

Posted by Olly Robinson on 12 December 2008 | 0 Comments

Tags: Mind-Body Medicine, Psychology

Money talks, but apparently it can also heal. Participants in a trial who received placebo pills were more likely to feel an effect if they were told each pill cost $2.50 than if they were told each pill cost a discounted price of $0.10. The subjects in the study experienced mild electric shocks to test their perception of pain relief. Among those told the pill cost $2.50, 85% said they felt less pain after taking it, compared with 61% of the volunteers who were told they had the cheap version.

(J. Am. Med. Assoc. 299, 1016–1017; 2008)