placebo effect

[ pluh-see-boh ]

noun

1. a reaction to a placebo manifested by a lessening of symptoms or the production of anticipated side effects.

placebo effect

noun

1. See control group
   med a positive therapeutic effect claimed by a patient after receiving a placebo believed by him to be an active drug See control group

Word History and Origins

Origin of placebo effect¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Even if it’s just the placebo effect, well, that can be incredibly powerful, and if it works for you, keep doing it.

From Popular-Science

On the whole, ice baths do seem to provide a reduction in associated pain, but the amount it does so might not be any better than the placebo effect.

From Popular-Science

The apparent benefits of the baking treatment may have partly been due to a placebo effect.

From Time

It’s a variation on the placebo effect—your outlook on life literally influences the one you’re living.

From Outside Online

Participants reported lower pain intensity from the heat on the “lidocaine” patch of skin, an expected placebo effect.

From Science News

There is some scientific merit to some alternative modalities, such as the well-documented placebo effect.

From The Daily Beast

Nobody conceived of a thing like the placebo effect or researcher bias —none of these notions had been worked out yet.

From The Daily Beast

The second is the placebo effect, which will often cause anything presented as medication to “work.”

From The Daily Beast

“If this is all some twisted placebo effect, I don't give a damn,” Robertson says.

From The Daily Beast

The placebo effect has become increasingly interesting to psychological as well as medical researchers.

From Project Gutenberg