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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 5, 2026

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

How to Study Placebo Responses in Motion Sickness with a Rotation Chair Paradigm in Healthy Participants

Published on: December 14, 2014

Socially transmitted placebo effects.

Pin-Hao A Chen¹, Jin Hyun Cheong¹, Eshin Jolly¹

¹Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.

Nature Human Behaviour

|October 23, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Healthcare providers’ expectations significantly influence patient pain perception and empathy ratings. This study reveals a socially transmitted placebo effect, where provider mindset impacts treatment outcomes.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Social Interaction

Background:

Patient expectations influence treatment outcomes, but the impact of healthcare provider expectations is less understood.
Social dynamics in medical settings play a crucial role in patient experience and therapeutic success.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how healthcare providers' expectations affect patients' pain perception and subjective experiences.
To explore the influence of provider expectations on patient-provider interactions and perceived empathy.

Main Methods:

Systematic manipulation of provider expectations in a simulated thermal pain administration scenario.
Measurement of patient subjective pain ratings, skin conductance responses, and facial expression behaviors.
Assessment of patient perceptions of provider empathy and analysis of provider facial expressions.

Main Results:

Patients' pain experiences were directly modulated by providers' expectations of treatment success.
Provider expectations influenced patients' subjective pain ratings, physiological responses (skin conductance), and behavioral expressions of pain.
Patients perceived providers as more empathetic when providers held positive expectations, with subtle changes in provider facial behaviors observed.

Conclusions:

Healthcare providers' expectations can induce a socially transmitted placebo effect in patients.
Provider behavior and cognitive mindsets significantly impact patient outcomes and the quality of clinical interactions.
Understanding and managing provider expectations is crucial for optimizing therapeutic interactions and patient care.