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?

Question

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?

In: 6662

Answer 1

Briefly, it is not that strong of an effect. It has come under fire recently as perhaps even more limited, it may only be a real effect for subjective states like happiness or pain. Furthermore, if a drug needs to be shown to be effective, it must *outperform* this null effect.