The placebo effect refers to the physiological and psychological improvement that arises from the belief that a drug is effective rather than from the drug itself. In other words, the disease appears to be cured solely due to psychological factors after taking an ineffective drug. 

This placebo effect has been a known treatment for quite some time and is a notable case from World War II. During the war, when morphine ran out, doctor Henry Beecher told soldiers that a saline solution was morphine, and as a result, there was an effect to relieve soldiers’ pain.

Another study by the Kolbjørn Lindberg team involved 40 athletes receiving the same training. Half were told it was special training, and the other half were told it was general training. Those who believed they had special training performed much better.

Additionally, there is the opposite of the placebo effect? the nocebo effect. Negative thoughts can cause negative results in harmless situations. For example, a sailor‘s body was found in a ship’s freezer, and a dead sailor wrote down how he died on the freezer wall. However, it was discovered that the freezer was off, and the temperature was 19 degrees Celsius. As a result, the sailor likely lost his life only through psychological factors. 

This placebo effect is possible because the brain is tricked into producing the desired effect. Since the brain is central to regulating the body‘s function and response, the brain can send signals to the body through neurotransmitters, regulating reactions, such as digestion, breathing, and emotions. Even if the brain takes ineffective drugs, it processes information that the drug is effective, helping to cure diseases by distributing dopamine and serotonin endorphins.

In a way, the placebo is a kind of optical illusion. To put the previous example into perspective, if you are convinced that the disease will heal after taking the drug, the brain will unconsciously distribute endorphins, which have an analgesic effect. After feeling less pain and sensation, there is a stronger belief and conclusion that the drug is effective, creating a stronger placebo effect.

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