Placebo is a word with Latin origins meaning “I shall please,” while nocebo means “I shall harm.” More common is the understanding that a placebo is something that can influence positive results, while a nocebo can influence negative results.

As background, in medicine, a placebo refers to a fake medicine, one that does not contain any active ingredients. It is used in clinical trials where some patients are given real medicine, and other patients are given fake medicine. The results are then measured to see how much more effective the new, real drug is compared to the results from the control group, which received a fake drug and thus no treatment.

However, a complicating factor witnessed in many clinical trials is that some patients who received the placebo or fake medicine show signs of improvement. This has become known as the “placebo effect.” This can occur when a person believes the medicine they are receiving will result in better health outcomes. This psychological phenomenon suggests there is a strong mind-body connection. As shown with the placebo effect, *positive expectations can actually result in positive outcomes. *

Alternatively, the nocebo effect can occur when a person does not believe the medicine or treatment they are receiving will deliver better health results. They may read about and then anticipate that the treatment will result in many painful side effects. In these situations, *negative expectations can result in negative outcomes. *This may be a result of a reaction to prolonged fear, anxiety, and stress, which negatively affects the immune system and the overall physical body.

These psychosomatic effects can be influenced by outside forces, such as caregivers, family members, friends, and the media, who serve to either reinforce positive or negative beliefs and expectations. According to the National Institute of Health, “There was consensus that maximizing placebo effects and minimizing nocebo effects should lead to better treatment outcomes with fewer side effects. Experts particularly agreed on the importance of informing patients about placebo and nocebo effects and training health professionals in patient-clinician communication to maximize placebo and minimize nocebo effects.” 1

Affect on Aging

The placebo and nocebo effects highlight the impact that our beliefs and perceptions can have on our physical health. So, it raises the question: Does mindset affect aging? Does how we view aging, either positively or negatively, affect our physical bodies? Consider the following:

Health: How does a belief that we can slow the aging process and rebalance our health through diet, exercise, and a positive attitude affect the body? How does a belief that we can live healthy, active lives until we are 100 affect our health? Or how does a belief that our health will deteriorate or fall off the cliff at age 75 and that we will become weaker each year affect the body?

Social Connections: How does a belief that we can actively seek out new social connections positively influence our health? Or how does a belief that friendships just lead to conflict and are too much effort as we age affect our physical health?

Purpose and Contribution: How does a belief that we can start new ventures, including volunteering, and learn new skills as we age positively affect the body, such as by helping the brain forge new neural pathways? Or how do beliefs and self-limiting thoughts, like “We become more useless as we age if we are not contributing economically to society, but no one will hire me at my age,” negatively affect our health?

Research results reported recently by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health conclude that “People with more positive attitudes about growing old tend to live longer and healthier lives than those with negative thoughts about aging.” 2

Living a Positive, Meaningful Life Is Our Choice

Aging, in large part, is a mindset and, importantly, is dependent on how we choose to live. As I have written in my book, Prisoners of Our Thoughts, a belief in the positive, a belief in yourself, and a belief in your actions can help override negative influences. While we cannot control all aspects of our lives, we can control and choose our thoughts, and those thoughts, in turn, can positively influence our health. So it is your choice—will you choose placebo or nocebo?3

References

1. Evers, A. W. M., Colloca, L., Blease, C., Annoni, M., Atlas, L. Y., Benedetti, F., Bingel, U., Büchel, C., Carvalho, C., Colagiuri, B., Crum, A. J., Enck, P., Gaab, J., Geers, A. L., Howick, J., Jensen, K. B., Kirsch, I., Meissner, K., Napadow, V., Peerdeman, K. J., … Kelley, J. M. (2018). Implications of Placebo and Nocebo Effects for Clinical Practice: Expert Consensus. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 87(4), 204–210. https://doi.org/10.1159/000490354

2. “Positive Attitude About Aging Could Boost Health,” Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, August 24, 2022. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/positive-attitude-about-aging-could-boost…

3. Pattakos, A., and Dundon, E. (2017). Prisoners of Our Thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler.