Chapter 02 of 5
The Nocebo Effect
When expecting harm makes you feel worse.
- The Word
'I shall harm'
'Nocebo' is Latin for 'I shall harm' — the darker twin of the placebo effect.
- The Effect
Expecting side effects
The nocebo effect happens when expecting negative effects makes people experience them, even from an inactive treatment.
- Trials
Placebo side effects
In clinical trials, people taking placebos frequently report side effects like headaches, nausea and tiredness.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
In the 2020 statin study, what share of symptoms also appeared with placebo pills?
💊 The Power of Expectation
- 01Sugar Pills That WorkThe placebo effect — what it is, and what it can and can't do.
- 02The Nocebo EffectWhen expecting harm makes you feel worse.
- 03Fake Surgery, Real ResultsTrials where pretend operations worked as well as real ones.
- 04Honest PlacebosPlacebos that help even when patients know they're fake.
- 05What's Really HappeningSeparating real placebo effects from things that only look like them.