Skip to main content

The Placebo Effect

This video presents the same text shown beside it, spoken and on screen. It adds nothing the text does not say.

State

The placebo effect is a measurable change in a participant produced by the expectation of treatment rather than by the treatment.

Show

Patients given an inert pill described as a painkiller report less pain than untreated patients given nothing.

Watch for

A placebo response is a real effect with a non-specific cause. Real does not mean the drug worked.