Roles of administration route, expectation, and belief in placebos in a randomized controlled trial with open-label placebos.

ABSTRACT: Recent reports challenge the view that placebos need to be given in deception. Numerous studies report remarkable effects when giving placebos honestly in an open way. However, the mechanisms of open-label placebos still remain to be cleared. For example, while expectation is often regarded as an important mechanism for concealed placebos, it is unclear whether this process may also account for open-label placebo effects. Thus, alternative theories based on, for example, the embodiment theory are also discussed. Here we examined possible mechanisms of open-label placebos including administration route (to address rituals or sensorimotor embodiment mechanisms), expectation, and belief in placebos. Healthy participants viewed emotional distressing pictures and were given an open-label placeb

SUBMITTER: Schaefer M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12672643 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature