Placebos Can Reduce Anxiety, Even if People Know they’re Fake

A new study indicates that taking placebo pills, even when people know they have no active ingredients, can still greatly decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. These “non-deceptive placebos” could be an effective method for enhancing mental health.

The human brain is a complex, intriguing, and powerful organ, especially when it comes to the placebo effect, where a person’s physical or mental health improves after receiving a “sham” treatment.

MSU Researchers Find Placebo Pills Effectively Reduce Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have discovered that placebo pills can significantly reduce stress, anxiety, and depression in people experiencing long-term stress, even when they are aware that the pills have no medicinal value.

“Long-term stress can hinder a person’s emotional regulation and lead to serious mental health issues, so we’re thrilled to find that a simple intervention can still provide substantial benefits,” said Jason Moser, a psychology professor at MSU and a co-author of the study. “This low-effort approach makes non-deceptive placebos an appealing option for those dealing with severe stress, anxiety, and depression.”

Study Challenges Belief That Placebos Only Work When Deceptive

It’s commonly believed that placebos are effective only when the person taking them is unaware that they are placebos. To challenge this notion, the researchers in the current study chose to use non-deceptive placebos.

They enlisted 18- to 30-year-olds from Michigan who were experiencing moderate, prolonged stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic and randomly assigned them to one of two groups.

The non-deceptive placebo group, consisting of 29 participants, received placebo pills by mail and were instructed via Zoom to take them twice daily for two weeks. They also participated in four online sessions that provided education on placebo effects and information on studies showing that non-deceptive placebos can reduce emotional stress.

The placebo pills, blue-and-white capsules produced by Zeebo and purchased from Amazon, contained only microcrystalline cellulose, an inert substance. The control group, with 32 participants, did not take any pills and did not receive any educational sessions.

Non-Deceptive Placebos Show Faster Reduction in Stress and Anxiety Compared to Control

The researchers measured COVID-related stress, overall stress, anxiety, and depression in all participants at the start, halfway through, and at the end of the study. They found that after two weeks, those in the non-deceptive placebo group experienced a faster reduction in COVID-related stress, overall stress, anxiety, and depression compared to the control group.

The results were similar to those from a separate study that reported benefits after a three-month self-guided online cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) program. Participants in the non-deceptive placebo group also had high expectations of positive effects and viewed the treatment as easy to use and suitable for the situation.

The researchers concluded, “Overall, these findings suggest that non-deceptive placebos, even when delivered remotely online, can help people with moderate risk manage their psychological health during extended stressful periods, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Small Sample Size and Potential Influence of Education on Results

The study’s limitations were also noted. The sample size was small and primarily consisted of young, white, female participants. Additionally, participants in the non-deceptive placebo group spent more time in the study due to the education they received about placebos, which could have influenced the results.

However, the researchers also mentioned that using a different experimental method, where all participants were informed about placebo effects, could have biased the results since the control group would be aware they were in a control condition.

Guevarra and Moser’s Ongoing Research

Guevarra and Moser have been studying non-deceptive placebos for a while. Their 2020 study found that a saline nasal spray reduced emotional distress from negative images. The current study shows more practical results but doesn’t necessarily advance understanding of the placebo effect in the brain.

In this study, participants in the non-deceptive placebo group expected some benefit and no harm from the pills. While expecting harm could affect adherence, the researchers found no significant correlation between expectations of benefit and adherence to the treatment.

“While expectations may influence outcomes, our data suggest that the effects of non-deceptive placebos on emotional results aren’t solely due to explicit expectations,” the researchers said.

Expectations, or beliefs about future events, are often cited in placebo and nocebo effects. The nocebo effect happens when negative outcomes occur due to the belief that the treatment will cause harm.

Case Study Highlights the Mind’s Influence

An example is a 26-year-old man in an antidepressant trial who overdosed on 29 capsules but recovered quickly after discovering they were placebos. This case underscores the mind’s powerful influence on the body.

Several theories explain the placebo effect beyond expectations. Skeptics argue that conditions like colds or flu would resolve on their own, while others suggest that chronic diseases have natural remission periods unrelated to the placebo.

Alternatively, a placebo might increase self-care motivation or help the brain recall a time before symptoms, promoting improvement. Neuroscientific evidence, however, points to brain systems and chemicals like dopamine playing a role.

Although the precise mechanisms behind the placebo effect will likely be revealed soon, what matters now is that it works, regardless of the reason.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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