ABSTRACT
Whether a person responds to a placebo depends almost entirely on how well the doctor plays his part. All the medical props, from the stethoscope to the framed medical school diploma, and all the soothing assurances given to the patient, can be wiped out by an unguarded frown or a slightly raised eyebrow as the doctor goes over the patient’s lab report. A placebo is most likely to work, therefore, if the doctor genuinely believes it to be a cure and communicates that conviction to the patient. Not surprisingly, then, those who imagine they possess miraculous healing powers, or truly believe they have discovered some wondrous cure that everyone else has overlooked, tend to be particularly good at evoking the placebo response.
