placebo effect

Definition of placebo effect

: improvement in the condition of a patient that occurs in response to treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used

Examples of placebo effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Research-backed evidence that healing crystals offer more than a placebo effect may be scarce, but clearly, that's not deterring people's interest. — Candace Braun Davison, House Beautiful, "How Healing Crystals Have Taken Over Design," 18 Sep. 2019 His foundation from 1999 to 2001 helped fund research of Anne Harrington, a history of science professor, on the placebo effect. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "Harvard has 'no plans' to return Jeffrey Epstein's $6.5M gift," 10 July 2019 With that said, there’s nothing wrong with the placebo effect. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Do Weighted Blankets Even Do Anything for Anxiety?," 7 May 2019 However, there is scant scientific evidence that suggests those treatments are effective, though in some cases patients may see results because of the placebo effect. — Jani Actman, National Geographic, "How can traditional Chinese medicine threaten wildlife?," 17 June 2019 And the good ol’ placebo effect may dictate a good amount of what happens. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "How Does Cannabis Actually Affect Sex?," 25 Mar. 2019 Still, learning an instrument may have a beneficial placebo effect, exciting and motivating children to work hard. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "The Science Behind Making Your Child Smarter," 24 Dec. 2018 Or does horoscopes’ accuracy lie in the placebo effect? — Jennie Neufeld, Vox, "Vox Sentences: 1,427 dead. Not 64.," 10 Aug. 2018 Chess students may do better in school because of a placebo effect. — Sue Shellenbarger, WSJ, "The Science Behind Making Your Child Smarter," 24 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'placebo effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near placebo effect

place aux dames

place heavy demands on

Statistics for placebo effect

Last Updated

23 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Placebo effect.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placebo%20effect. Accessed 21 January 2020.

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