Placebo Effect

Definition

The placebo effect is a psychological phenomenon where a person experiences an improvement in their condition or symptoms after receiving a treatment that is inactive or doesn't have any therapeutic effect. This happens because they believe the treatment will work.

Related terms

Expectancy Theory:

This theory suggests that behavior is motivated by expected outcomes. In terms of placebo effect, if someone expects a pill to do wonders, it might just do so because of their strong belief.

Nocebo Effect: It’s the negative counterpart of the placebo effect. If people believe something will harm them or worsen their condition, they may experience negative effects even if there's no active harmful ingredient involved.

Double-Blind Procedure:

A research method often used in studies investigating placebos where neither participants nor experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment (placebo or real). This helps prevent bias from affecting results.