They knew the pill was fake but their memory still improved
News
A fake pillâeven one people knew was fakeâgave older adults real boosts in memory, movement, and stress levels after just three weeks.
– Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
– Healthy older adults experienced measurable improvements in memory, physical performance, and stress after taking placebo pills for just three weeks. The most surprising finding was that the placebo often worked even when participants knew the pills were completely inactive.
Details
A placebo, or fake supplement, may offer real benefits for older adults, according to new research from psychologists at the Università Cattolica in Milan. After taking placebo pills for three weeks, participants showed improvements in both physical performance and cognitive function. Surprisingly, the benefits were seen even when participants knew the pills contained no active ingredients.
The study, published in the International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, was led by Diletta Barbiani, Alessandro Antonietti, and Francesco Pagnini. It was supported by PNRR grants through the Age-IT project.
“The study is part of an established line of research in which we analyze the role of the mind in aging processes, which is very important,” says Pagnini, Full Professor of Clinical Psychology at the Faculty of Psychology of the Università Cattolica.
Analysis
Testing the Placebo Effect in Healthy Aging
Until now, no research had investigated whether a traditional placebo could influence abilities that naturally decline with age.
“Our goal,” Professor Pagnini explains, “was to clarify whether an open-label placebo therapy (i.e., where the recipient is aware it is a placebo) or a fake supplement (people don’t know it’s a placebo) could influence psychological, cognitive, and physical functions in older adults living in the community.”
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