On AlterNet: placebo

Stories, blog posts, and videos tagged as "placebo"

Guess What? Most "Buttons" You Push Only Exist to Make You Feel Like You Have Control Over Your Life

David McRaney, You Are Not So Smart. August 22, 2011.

From fake door close buttons on elevators to non-functioning thermostats, placebo buttons are everywhere, but the cause-and-effect we think we see is made-up by our brains.

Do Anti-Depressants Work? It Very Well Might Be the Placebo That Does the Trick

Irving Kirsch, Ph.D., Basic Books. March 2, 2011.

Psychologist Irving Kirsch unveils the ineffectiveness of antidepressants and suggests there's more to the placebo effect than once imagined.

The Placebo Effect: Studies Reveal How Fake Medicine Actually Reduces Pain

Michael Haederle, Miller-McCune.com. December 3, 2009.

New medical research is finding that the pain relief induced by placebos may come from releasing the body's own chemical pain relievers.