Does a fake pill work better if it’s expensive?
Commercial features of placebo and therapeutic efficacy
Fake painkillers worked better when people were told they were expensive.
Ig Nobel 2008
Volunteers were given mild electric shocks to the wrist, then handed a new “painkiller” that was really a sugar pill. Half were told it cost $2.50 a dose; the other half were told it had been discounted to 10 cents.
The pricey pretend pill relieved pain in far more people than the bargain one. Same pill, different price tag, different result. Your brain, it seems, is a bit of a snob.
Never tell your headache you bought the own-brand version.