A striking study found that people who took nondeceptive placebos ─ meaning they knew the medications were fake ─ had significantly reduced levels of stress, and less anxiety and depression symptoms after just two weeks, compared to the control group that did not take the placebos.

According to Study Finds, researchers from Michigan State University (MSU), Miami University, and the University of California, San Francisco divided 61 study participants into two groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. One group received the nondeceptive placebos, and the other group received no treatment at all.

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The placebo group was also exposed to informational material and presentations about placebos, while the control group had no interventions.

Both groups completed surveys measuring their stress levels at the beginning, middle and end of the study period. After two weeks, the placebo group who took the inert pills twice daily reported less COVID-19 stress, less overall stress, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Study co-author Jason Moser, a professor at MSU’s Department of Psychology said that it was heartening to see that a minimal intervention could be so successful in reducing stress.

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“Exposure to long-term stress can impair a person’s ability to manage emotions and cause significant mental health problems in the long-term,” he said. “This minimal burden makes nondeceptive placebos an attractive intervention for those with significant stress, anxiety and depression.”

What was also surprising was that the participants knew they were taking placebos and still reaped the benefits, which challenges the theory that placebos only work if people believe they are taking real medicine. 

Best of all, the study subjects found the placebo treatment easy to use and appropriate for managing stress so there was a 92% adherence rate for the two-week period. The researchers acknowledged that their study had only 61 participants and consisted of primarily young, white females. They emphasized the need for further research to understand the role of nondeceptive placebos in a more diverse population.

The study was published in the journal Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.