We all swear bysomethingthat we know probably doesnt work.
Even if it doesnt work, whats the harm?
The truth is, its not harmless, and were only fooling ourselves.
Even worse, if it seems to work for you, you may become convinced its for real.
How much should this weigh on your mind when youre picking up a packet of Emergen-C at the drugstore?
Thats a personal decision, but Im going to argue that it should be more than zero.
The discovery of the placebo effect changed how doctors evaluate medicines.
The drug doesnt just have to work; it has to workbetter than placebo.
Unfortunately, thats not how placebos work.
In 1997, two German scientists analyzedthe original 1955 paperthat identified the placebo effect as meaningful in medicine.
Many of these also apply in everyday life:
People naturally get better over time.
For example, a trial of cold treatments found that people improved within 6 days on placebo.
People take placebos when theyre already feeling better.
In that trial, placebo got the credit for keeping patients symptoms under control.
For example, in one trial 21 percent of stroke patients improved on placebo, but 53 percent died.
The investigators described the placebo as 21 percent effective.
We are susceptible to errors like these when we evaluate our own experiences.
Falling prey to cognitive biases doesnt mean were gullible or stupid; it means were human.
Even if a placebo seems to work, it may not have benefited you at all.
Remember, homeopathy is the medicine that doesnt contain any medicine, and isverifiable garbage.
Meanwhile,according to TABS Analytics, vitamins and nutritional supplements earn nearly $12 billion a year.
Sports nutrition supplements are $2.6 billion.
This stuff can get expensive.
Youre not buying it because it works; youre buying it because youhopeit works.
The only difference between them is what you could afford.
Questionable remedies cost more than money, of course.
They also take their toll in time, and hope.
Illustration by Angelica Alzona.
