nocebo effect
nounDefinition of nocebo effect
: the development of adverse side effects or worsening in the condition of a patient that occurs in response to medical treatment but cannot be considered due to the specific treatment used
With a nocebo effect, if test subjects believe there may be side effects, they often experience them. Again, expectations shape reality.— Sanjay Gupta
Examples of nocebo effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The psychology of myalgias involves the nocebo effect, the flip side of the placebo effect. — Richard Klasco, New York Times, "How Many People Can’t Tolerate Statins?," 1 June 2018 The researchers also pinpointed areas of the brain that seemed to be involved in the nocebo effect overall. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Potent Nocebo: The more expensive a harmless cream, the more pain it inflicts," 9 Oct. 2017 Patients may have panicked and attributed other health problems or perceived side-effects—the nocebo effect—to the new drug. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Police raid Merck pharmaceutical plant amid mysterious drug crisis," 4 Oct. 2017 In an accompanying editorial, pain and placebo expert Luana Colloca says the findings show that nocebo effects may skew clinical trial data and patient’s adherence to drugs. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Potent Nocebo: The more expensive a harmless cream, the more pain it inflicts," 9 Oct. 2017 Physicians should be aware of the placebo and nocebo effects when describing medications to patients, says Per Aslaksen, a psychologist at the University of Tromsø in Norway who researches the placebo effect and who wasn’t involved in the work. — Michael Price, Science | AAAS, "Pricier meds mean worse side effects, thanks to ‘nocebo’ effect," 5 Oct. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nocebo effect.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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