Dec 4, 2022 06:34 PM
https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/p...ove-faster
INTRO: The placebo effect is a pretty astounding thing. Inert pills can do everything from relieve pain to reduce symptoms of depression, if we expect them to be effective (and sometimes even if we know they are a placebo). But the effect occurs in non-medical contexts too: researchers have found that placebo treatments can enhance creativity, for instance, and even boost cognitive performance.
Now a study in Scientific Reports has shown that a placebo can also make us move faster. After sham electrical stimulation to the arm, participants made faster “goal-directed” movements – a finding that could help develop rehabilitation strategies for people with motor impairments.
Past work has found that placebos can boost athletic performance as well as improve motor function in diseases like Parkinson’s. One theory is that after being told that a drug or supplement will improve their motor abilities, people have positive expectations about their performance, and these expectations lead to better “top-down” control of movements – improving the way they plan and predict the outcome of actions, for instance. These are crucial elements of goal-directed movements – the kind of purposeful movements we regularly use to achieve a goal, like reaching for a cup on the table in front of us... (MORE - details)
INTRO: The placebo effect is a pretty astounding thing. Inert pills can do everything from relieve pain to reduce symptoms of depression, if we expect them to be effective (and sometimes even if we know they are a placebo). But the effect occurs in non-medical contexts too: researchers have found that placebo treatments can enhance creativity, for instance, and even boost cognitive performance.
Now a study in Scientific Reports has shown that a placebo can also make us move faster. After sham electrical stimulation to the arm, participants made faster “goal-directed” movements – a finding that could help develop rehabilitation strategies for people with motor impairments.
Past work has found that placebos can boost athletic performance as well as improve motor function in diseases like Parkinson’s. One theory is that after being told that a drug or supplement will improve their motor abilities, people have positive expectations about their performance, and these expectations lead to better “top-down” control of movements – improving the way they plan and predict the outcome of actions, for instance. These are crucial elements of goal-directed movements – the kind of purposeful movements we regularly use to achieve a goal, like reaching for a cup on the table in front of us... (MORE - details)