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- The Expectation Effect
Read Time: 5 minutes
Introduction
Isn’t it nice when someone believes in you, and expects you to win in life?
I’m sure you think it is.
Well, what if I told you that something so seemingly irrelevant can have a real and profound effect on how reality takes shape?
Yes, that’s right. Science shows that expectations can make a huge difference.
They can shape perceptions and experiences, and can even shape reality.
That’s why today we’re talking about the expectation effect, and the difference between placebo and nocebo.
First we will look at some interesting examples, then at how this can practically impact your life.
Let’s surf on in 🏄♂️
Placebo and Nocebo
Placebo and nocebo are names for the specific outcomes or responses that come from expectations, whether positive or negative.
Placebo
→ Occurs when someone, such as a patient, experiences a positive response to a treatment with no therapeutic value.
→ Typically attributed to the patient's belief in the treatment's effectiveness rather than the treatment itself.
→ Placebo effects can lead to improvements in symptoms such as pain relief, mood enhancement, or enhanced performance.
Nocebo
→ The opposite of the placebo effect, where negative outcomes result from negative expectations.
→ Occurs when a patient experiences negative effects or worsening symptoms due to anticipating negative outcomes from a treatment.
→ Can lead to the development of new symptoms, exacerbation of existing symptoms, or the perception of side effects even when the treatment is inert.
Because placebo and nocebo are terms usually used in medical contexts, I will stick to the theme for the following ↓
The effect is stronger and works best with the increased dramatisation of the treatment:
A pill will likely have more effect than some sort of cream
An injection with a syringe will likely have more effect than a pill
Treatment that includes using a large machine—especially where a body part is entered, such as an MRI machine—will likely have more effect than a syringe. The louder the better.
Remember that this is all a placebo.
For the purpose of this newsletter, we are going to stick to the overarching ‘expectation effect,’ rather than referring to each thing as placebo or nocebo specifically.
Examples of Expectations Leading to Outcomes
1
→ When three separate groups were told they were being given a pill that helps ease depression and increases happiness, the people in the group that received the yellow pill (as opposed to blue or red) were most likely to see the most positive effect.
→ When three different groups were told they were being given a pill that helps improve sleep, the people in the group that received the blue pill (as opposed to yellow or red) were most likely to see the largest effect.
→ When three different groups were told they were being given a pill that helps improve performance, the people in the group that received the red pill (as opposed to yellow or blue) were most likely to see the most enhanced effect.
Clearly, this comes down to what our brains associate each colour with, which interestingly affects how well we expect the pill will work.
2
In a study involving patients with osteoarthritis, some participants underwent a sham surgery, where they received an incision but no actual surgical procedure was performed.
Despite not receiving any real treatment, patients who underwent the sham surgery reported similar improvements in pain and function compared to those who underwent actual surgical intervention.
Crazy, no?
3
Athletes were informed that they had been given a performance enhancing drug, although in reality they received a placebo with no pharmacological effects.
Despite receiving an inert substance, the athletes demonstrated significant improvements in their running times.
Simply being told that they had been given a performance enhancer, enhanced their performance.
What this points to is a mental barrier that was opened because of the belief that something from outside of them was aiding their performance.
4
At the beginning of a new school term, the computer system showed teachers, on the attendance roster, which students were the least likely to do well—the ‘bad’ students.
It also showed the ones most likely to do well—the ‘good’ students. All this so the teachers could know what to expect of the students.
The issue was that someone made a mistake, and had switched all the students around on the computer system.
Come on, what do you think happened?
The ‘bad’ students, who the teachers thought were the ‘good’ ones, performed far better academically than the actual ‘good’ students.
This goes to show that because the teachers expected certain students to do well, they consciously or unconsciously gave them more attention, appreciation, and praise; which presumably is what led to the ‘bad’ students doing better than the ‘good’ ones.
5
In an experiment, participants were given identical wines but were told that one was expensive and the other was inexpensive. When participants tasted the wine, their brain scans showed that they reported enjoying the "expensive" wine more, despite the wines being the same.
How many people in this consumer-driven world do you think convince themselves that the expensive things are better, just to make themselves feel better?
Don’t get me wrong, getting both luxury and quality is expensive.
But we often convince ourselves that something must be better because of an expensive badge or price tag, which isn’t always the case.
Now I want to bring the conversation to you, my friend.
If such profound effects can come about for things seemingly out of peoples' control, what do you think it could do for something that is in your control?
What other people think of you isn’t fully in your control.
What you think of yourself is.
And only the latter, fully, will determine your reality.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't—you're right.”
Expect yourself to succeed, and you will.
B-Mega,
Fabian