Dan Arieley, the MIT behaviorial economist, is at it again, showing how irrational we humans are. He and his colleagues reported, in a recent study I came across on Medpage Today, that expensive placebos were perceived to be more effective than cheaper ones.
In a randomized, blinded study, healthy volunteers were told they were taking a new opioid and asked to rate its effectiveness on shocks to their wrists. All the volunteers were actually given the same placebo, but some were told the cost was ten cents, while others were told $2.50. The results were reported in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Those receiving the more expensive pill reported significantly great pain reduction than those told they received the cheaper pill.
Dr. Arieley is the author of a recent book entitled Predictably Irrational. He commented on this study on his website:
". . . we showed that when people get more expensive painkillers (placebos in our case) they expect a lot and get a lot of pain relief, but when the price of these pills is discounted, the expectations are lowered and so is their efficacy. As it turns out, with painkillers, we sometimes get what we pay for."
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21 comments:
Interesting. I can't believe that they would think that more expensive placebos would be more effective than cheaper ones. It shouldn't matter when it comes to placebos. I would think that could be the reason why they think placebos work better most of the time when they think they are getting the drug.
Kellie Alligood
sometimes when someone dont know that the doctor has given them a fake med. then somehow they get better. this is when the doctor finds out if the patient is faking or is really sick. To raise the price of fake med. is crazy and someone just wants some money.
It makes sense, or cents. I guess it's like name brand and generic scripts, except they make the brain work harder, but aren't they legally supposed to be the same. It got me thinking of pills on the street, how many could just be placebo's and how much money is made off of them. Drunks will believe anything, almost.
Will Reagan
That was interesting. But it doesn't surprise me though. My mom believes in getting the real deal when it comes to different meds. She swears that the generic or the much cheaper med doesn't work like the more expensive one, but I think the cheaper the better!
I think it could be in a person mind. The Doctor gave my aunt asprins,but she thought it were prescribe medication. She said that the medicine made her feel good. Sometimes you are just paying for brand names.
Dorothy Williams
Most people believe that things have to cost more to be a better product.
This is very interesting; How expensive placebos have a greater effect than a cheap one, even though the medicine is a placebo. Then again some people think the higher the med the better quality or effect that it suppose to have.
maybe one of the reasons that people convince themselves that the more expensive pill is working better, is because they want to feel justified in spending more money, so they look harder to find all of the positive benefits from the more expensive pill. it's incredible how much of a factor a person's mind can play in how much pain they feel or don't feel.
Meredith Haddock
I think placebos are good because they can trick your mind into thinking you are taking something when you are not. They need to make a placebo for viagra, now that my friend will sell!
Lol This guy said get a placebo for viagra lol. I think that is so stupid placebos are placebos no matter what the cost lol. I guess
Esther Wilson
Lol This guy said get a placebo for viagra lol. I think that is so stupid placebos are placebos no matter what the cost lol. I guess
Esther Wilson
It's the same when you go into a drug store to buy over the counter cold medicine, the more attractive the bottle, the more your going to believe it works better. Take for instance Tylenol versus generic, if you look for the active ingredient in both, they're the same, but one looks better and costs more and your likely to buy the higher name brand.
I would personally rather get the cheaper generic brand myself because it's the samething! But some people rather have the expensive meds becuase they THINK they work better which is not always the case.
I don't think there should be a difference in prices. Meds are meds and they should be available to everyone whether they are the "good stuff" or the "bad stuff." I don't think it's fair that poor people should get the shaft because they can't afford the meds that the rich people can.
alex lea
I think placebos sometimes are somewhat effective in a way that if a person comes to the doctor regularly then they definitely should get a placebo if its the same thing and they have had test done that everything is alright. But i think raising the prices for fake medicine is truly absurd
Rutica Patel
This is completely obivous to me. Does your $50,000 car work better then a $15,000 Kia or Saturn? The answer is no, but the world would have you say yes. This can be seen in everything we buy, if it costs more it must be better... or you are just getting riped off. Go to the mall and look around. Overpriced, but people are convinced it is better quality and what they need to have.
Doug Jones
that was very interesting that people with the expensive placebo had a greater reduction of pain, maybe the person mindset is the more it cost the more it should work
JOHNNIE SMALLWOOD WHS
What happend to just giveing sugar pills. What a rediculous thing. MOre expensive fake pills the better. that's a placebo in itself
This is very intresting. I guess that people think just because something is more expensive it works better. This seems to not be the case though according to this article. People are willing to spend excesive amounts to feel better when they could be spending much less to feel the way that the more expensive medicines make you feel. -April Woolard (WHS)
It's all in the name. People have been conditioned all their life to believe that the more expensive, the better! It's a habbit we may have to kick.
its amazing to me how so many people's sickness and pain is actually just in their mind.
Emily Smith
SHS
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