If you’ve ever needed proof that our minds and bodies are connected in intricately beautiful if not bewildering ways, look no further than the placebo effect. It refers to any time someone reacts to a treatment that has no active component; in other words, responding to something that should have no biological impact. It’s often studied using sugar pills, where just the simple act of ingesting the pill can impact someone’s perception of pain or other physiological phenomena — especially if they believe the sugar pill could have been an actual drug.
The word placebo comes from the Latin phrase, “I shall please.” But its charms don’t work for everyone. So scientists are studying what makes someone respond to it or not. Answering this question could allow the placebo to become a medical treatment of its own.
