12. Does “As If” Thinking Really Work?

Also: why is it so hard to predict success? This episode originally aired on November 29, 2020. 

Also: do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future? This episode originally aired on November 22, 2020. 

Also: why is behavior change so darn hard? This episode originally aired on November 15, 2020. 

The placebo effect is pretty freaky when you think about it: just believing that a harmless substance is a medicine can really produce measurable benefits. It sounds crazy, but the placebo effect is real, and its implications continue to fascinate scientists. So why does it appea ... Show More

The placebo effect is a phenomenon in which a person's symptoms or well-being improve after receiving a fake treatment that has no specific or intrinsic effect on their condition. For example, a person may feel less pain after taking a sugar pill that they believe is a painkiller ... Show More

In medicine, it’s long been recognised that a placebo, a sham medicine or treatment, can have a powerful positive effect on a patient’s health. Part of that effect relies on a person’s belief that an inactive substance or treatment (for example, a sugar pill) is in fact an active ... Show More

On sait que l'effet placebo est bien présent chez l'homme. il serait même responsable d'une partie non négligeable des guérisons. Mais un animal peut-il être sensible à un tel effet ? Un effet placebo très présent chez l'homme... On sait qu'un produit anodin, ne contenant aucun p ... Show More

 In Latin, the word “placebo” means “I shall please.” In the medical world, placebos mean something … well, a little different. Bapu Jena walks us through the thorny world of placebo research and the implications the placebo effect can have for patients. 

L'effet placebo est bien connu. Mais ce n'est toujours pas le cas de l'effet nocebo qui, d'après une récente étude, serait responsable d'une grande partie des effets secondaires liés à la vaccination contre le virus de la Covid-19. Des effets secondaires même après une injection ... Show More

In many cases, the survival benefits are much lower than you might think. This episode features audio from How Effective Is Chemotherapy? and How Much Does Chemotherapy Improve Survival?. Visit the video pages for all sources and doctor’s notes related to this podcast. 

Should your doctor prescribe a placebo for you, instead of conventional medicine? And if she did, would it work? Is the double-blind placebo-controlled paradigm really the gold standard for medical research?Placebos are the most widely used treatments in the history of medicine. ... Show More

In this episode, I discuss placebo and belief and mindset effects — all of which exert a powerful and real influence on our biology and psychology. I discuss how your beliefs and expectation that a certain outcome will occur after taking a substance (or any intervention cause gen ... Show More

Each year, trillions of dollars are poured into the American healthcare system, yet the rates of chronic illnesses and diseases continue to climb. If we want better health outcomes, we’ve got to stop handing over our power to prescription pads and diagnoses, and instead harness a ... Show More