If the placebo effect works by tricking the brain, why does it need to be tricked if it’s apparently able to solve the issue on its own?
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This is an outside of the way of thinking about it but worth mentioning. If you haven’t looked into any of Donald Hoffman’s research I’d recommend. Hoffman is a cognitive scientist/philosopher who has proposed a theory called the “Interface Theory of Perception.” His theory may have implications for our understanding of the placebo effect.
According to Hoffman’s theory, our perception of the world is not a direct reflection of reality, but rather an interface created by our brains to help us navigate and survive in our environment developed by evolution. Our senses do not provide us with a one-to-one representation of the world, but rather a simplified and useful version of it. This is because the brain is constantly making predictions about what we will experience based on past experiences and current sensory input.
If we apply this theory to the placebo effect, we could speculate that the placebo effect is not just a simple response to a sugar pill or other fake treatment, but rather an interaction between the brain’s predictions and the patient’s beliefs and expectations. In other words, the placebo effect may be a result of the brain creating a perception of wellness in response to the patient’s expectations of healing.
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