Non-deceptive placebos can reduce stress, anxiety and depression, study finds

A study from Michigan State University found that non-deceptive placebos, or placebos given to people who know they are placebos, effectively managed stress, even when the placebos were administered remotely.

Researchers recruited participants experiencing long-term stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic for a two-week randomized controlled trial. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to a non-deceptive placebo group and the other half to the control group that took no pills.

Participants interacted with a researcher online via four virtual sessions on Zoom. Those in the non-deceptive placebo group received information about the placebo effect and were mailed placebo pills along with instructions on how to take the pills.

The study, published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-beingfound that the non-deceptive group showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression in just two weeks compared to the no-treatment control group. Participants also reported that the non-deceptive placebos were easy to use, non-invasive, and appropriate for the situation.

“Exposure to prolonged stress can impair a person’s ability to manage emotions and cause significant mental health problems, so we’re excited to see that an intervention that requires minimal effort can yield significant benefits,” said Jason Moser, a co-author of the study and a professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology.

“This minimal burden makes non-deceptive placebos an attractive intervention for people with significant stress, anxiety, and depression.”

The researchers are particularly hopeful about the possibility that health care providers will be able to administer the non-deceptive placebos remotely.

“This ability to remotely administer non-deceptive placebos significantly increases the scalability potential,” said Darwin Guevarra, co-author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.

“Remotely administered, non-deceptive placebos could help people with mental health problems who otherwise would not have access to traditional mental health care.”