A large number of studies have shown the striking impact that . Inert treatments can not only produce medical benefits such as , but also have cognitive effects such as increasing creativity and learning. And while many of those studies involve tricking people into thinking they’re receiving an effective intervention, a new study shows that this deception isn’t always necessary. Researchers have found that taking a placebo can reduce people’s blood pressure before an exam, even when they know they are taking an inactive pill (Schaefer et al., 2019).
Up to 2 in 5 people experience test anxiety, which can involve physical symptoms such as high heart rate and sweating, negative thinking, and even impaired performance or even avoidance of taking the test. Some take medication or receive psychotherapy to manage anxiety. Michael Schaefer of the Berlin Medical School and his colleagues wanted to find out if just taking a placebo could help.
The team recruited 58 university students who were approaching their end-of-term exams. Half of the participants received no treatment, while the other half were asked to take two placebo pills per day for two weeks. Importantly, there was no deception: The researchers told participants in the placebo condition that their pills were inactive. Before beginning the treatment course, and again at the end, participants completed questionnaires that measured their levels of test anxiety, physical and mental well-being, and self-management skills (e.g., coping mechanisms and belief in one’s own ability). to be successful).
The control group did not show any difference in measurements before and after the treatment period. But compared to the other group, after the placebo “treatment,” their anxiety had been significantly reduced, and they also showed better self-control skills. However, it was unclear whether these changes had any negative effect on test scores (within the placebo group, participants who showed greater improvement in their self-control skills tended to obtain higher scores, but this correlation did not reach significant levels. ).
It is a mystery how placebos decrease anxiety even when people are aware that they are taking an inert substance, the researchers write. One possibility is that the positive way the researchers discussed the intervention with participants played an important role: Participants were told that placebo effects could be “powerful” and that the body could respond automatically.
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But while the results may seem surprising, they are consistent with previous research that has found that “open” placebos can be effective for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Still, the results are very preliminary. The sample size was quite small, and it is not clear whether what appears to be a fairly modest drop in anxiety scores has practical relevance. It would be interesting to see more detailed and exact evidence on how the placebo intervention affected the participants: did it alter their negative thinking, for example, or did it rather have effects on the physical symptoms of test anxiety?
And even if placebos reduce the type of anxiety people experience before a test, that doesn’t necessarily mean they work for chronic anxiety or in other stressful situations.
Reference:
Schaefer, M., Denke, C., Harke, R., Olk, N., Erkovan, M., & Enge, S. (2019). Open-label placebos reduce test anxiety and improve self-management skills: A randomized-controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 13317. https://doi.org/
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