Abstract
Yeung et al. (2017) proposed that merely possessing a placebo analgesic may reduce pain. Study 1 directly compared the effect of using vs. possessing a placebo analgesic (compared to controls) on pain-resilience. Second, Geers et al. (2015) found that a placebo analgesic leads to greater pain-reduction for participants without a related prior pain experience. As such, Study 2 examined if mere-possession of a placebo analgesic affects pain with vs. without a related prior-pain-experience.
Methods
Study 1: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream vs. a pain-irrelevant sham cream), some did not (no-cream). Participants who received the placebo analgesic cream either used it or merely possessed it. All participants did a cold-pressor-test (CPT).
Study 2: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream), some did not (no-cream). All participants completed a CPT. In the with-prior-pain condition, participants did a practice-CPT before the marketing-survey to induce a prior-pain-experience. No practice-CPT in the without-prior-pain condition.
Results
Study 1: Participants using the placebo analgesic cream reported higher pain-tolerance and lower pain-intensity than participants in the two control-groups (no-cream, sham-cream). Surprisingly, participants merely possessing the placebo analgesic cream performed equally well as those actually using the cream.
Study 2: Upon possessing a placebo cream, participants without (vs. with) prior-pain-experience reported greater pain-efficacy. This effect was not observed when participants did not possess any cream.
Conclusions
Merely possessing a placebo can enhance pain-resilience to the same extent as applying it. Such mere-possession enhances pain-efficacy when one has no prior-pain-experience.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 9 Jul 2019 |
| Event | The 2nd official Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies(SIPS) Conference on placebo studies - Leiden, The Netherlands., Leiden, Netherlands Duration: 7 Jul 2019 → 9 Jul 2019 https://sipsconference.com |
Conference
| Conference | The 2nd official Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies(SIPS) Conference on placebo studies |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | SIPS Conference |
| Country | Netherlands |
| City | Leiden |
| Period | 7/07/19 → 9/07/19 |
| Internet address |
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Testing if and when the mere possession of a placebo analgesic cream enhances pain resilience. / YEUNG, Wai Lan Victoria; GEERS, Andrew; COLLOCA, Luana.
2019. The 2nd official Society for Interdisciplinary Placebo Studies(SIPS) Conference on placebo studies, Leiden, Netherlands.Research output: Other Conference Contributions › Presentation › Presentation
TY - CONF
T1 - Testing if and when the mere possession of a placebo analgesic cream enhances pain resilience
AU - YEUNG, Wai Lan Victoria
AU - GEERS, Andrew
AU - COLLOCA, Luana
PY - 2019/7/9
Y1 - 2019/7/9
N2 - BackgroundYeung et al. (2017) proposed that merely possessing a placebo analgesic may reduce pain. Study 1 directly compared the effect of using vs. possessing a placebo analgesic (compared to controls) on pain-resilience. Second, Geers et al. (2015) found that a placebo analgesic leads to greater pain-reduction for participants without a related prior pain experience. As such, Study 2 examined if mere-possession of a placebo analgesic affects pain with vs. without a related prior-pain-experience.MethodsStudy 1: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream vs. a pain-irrelevant sham cream), some did not (no-cream). Participants who received the placebo analgesic cream either used it or merely possessed it. All participants did a cold-pressor-test (CPT).Study 2: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream), some did not (no-cream). All participants completed a CPT. In the with-prior-pain condition, participants did a practice-CPT before the marketing-survey to induce a prior-pain-experience. No practice-CPT in the without-prior-pain condition.ResultsStudy 1: Participants using the placebo analgesic cream reported higher pain-tolerance and lower pain-intensity than participants in the two control-groups (no-cream, sham-cream). Surprisingly, participants merely possessing the placebo analgesic cream performed equally well as those actually using the cream.Study 2: Upon possessing a placebo cream, participants without (vs. with) prior-pain-experience reported greater pain-efficacy. This effect was not observed when participants did not possess any cream.ConclusionsMerely possessing a placebo can enhance pain-resilience to the same extent as applying it. Such mere-possession enhances pain-efficacy when one has no prior-pain-experience.
AB - BackgroundYeung et al. (2017) proposed that merely possessing a placebo analgesic may reduce pain. Study 1 directly compared the effect of using vs. possessing a placebo analgesic (compared to controls) on pain-resilience. Second, Geers et al. (2015) found that a placebo analgesic leads to greater pain-reduction for participants without a related prior pain experience. As such, Study 2 examined if mere-possession of a placebo analgesic affects pain with vs. without a related prior-pain-experience.MethodsStudy 1: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream vs. a pain-irrelevant sham cream), some did not (no-cream). Participants who received the placebo analgesic cream either used it or merely possessed it. All participants did a cold-pressor-test (CPT).Study 2: Participants completed a marketing-survey. Some received a souvenir (a placebo analgesic cream), some did not (no-cream). All participants completed a CPT. In the with-prior-pain condition, participants did a practice-CPT before the marketing-survey to induce a prior-pain-experience. No practice-CPT in the without-prior-pain condition.ResultsStudy 1: Participants using the placebo analgesic cream reported higher pain-tolerance and lower pain-intensity than participants in the two control-groups (no-cream, sham-cream). Surprisingly, participants merely possessing the placebo analgesic cream performed equally well as those actually using the cream.Study 2: Upon possessing a placebo cream, participants without (vs. with) prior-pain-experience reported greater pain-efficacy. This effect was not observed when participants did not possess any cream.ConclusionsMerely possessing a placebo can enhance pain-resilience to the same extent as applying it. Such mere-possession enhances pain-efficacy when one has no prior-pain-experience.
M3 - Presentation
ER -