Unthinkable: The ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect could shed light on why people say consuming the news makes them feel worse
The ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect could shed light on why people say consuming the news makes them feel worse
The phenomenon – sometimes called the “evil twin” of the placebo effect – is typically associated with medical research. The placebo effect is where someone feels better because of positive expectations about taking a treatment that has no effective ingredient. The lesser-known nocebo effect is the reverse – where someone feels worse because of negative expectations about what they’re consuming.
The research has implications for areas outside of medicine, Blease says, citing “trigger warnings” in education. “Communicating to people that they may feel worse after engaging with content may actually set them up for that very response.” “One proposal is framing the information in a way that is truthful but positive,” says Blease. “For example, instead of saying 20 per cent of people experience negative side effects, it might be better to say ‘80 per cent of people don’t experience any side effects’. Another approach could be to directly advise that some people report side effects but it is up to the individual if they want to learn more. This option would also support the agency of the patient to decide what they want to know.
Asked whether the media is making us sick, Blease replies: “I think it’s reasonable to suggest there could be times when the media causes nocebo effects. That said, we also need more empirical research ... The media likes to follow the alarming, anxiety-inducing, negative stories, as humans and consumers of media we are much more attentive and vigilant about things that harm us. This is the stuff that makes us click.
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