An older man and a smiling woman fasten a wrist monitor at an outdoor table near medical equipment in bright sunlight.

The placebo effect is real medicine: what expectation does to your body

How powerful is the placebo effect? Real, measurable physiology driven by expectation. It shows on brain scans and works even when you know the pill is inert.

May 26, 2026 9 min read

A researcher fits a wrist sensor on a smiling man in a bright lab, a heart-rate trace on the monitor behind them.

Neuroscience

Is manifestation just the placebo effect? (and why "just" is the wrong word)

Is manifestation just placebo? Partly, and that dignifies it. Placebo is real physiology driven by expectation, and it works even if you know the pill is inert.

Jan 4, 2026 10 min read

A smiling woman sits in an armchair across from a man holding a clipboard, with potted plants and several clocks on shelves behind them.

Neuroscience

Does your body heal on "perceived" time? Ellen Langer's mind-over-time studies

Did Ellen Langer's study show your body heals on perceived time? One 2023 trial says maybe, with real time held fixed. Striking, but early and contested.

Aug 10, 2025 9 min read