Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Wednesday Wonder: Believing Makes It So

Something fake becomes something real
because of someone's perception of it.
~ Eric Mead

Ever wonder about the Placebo Effect?

As magician Eric Mead demonstrates, what's fake can be all too real. It's your own belief that makes it so. And what's "real" can be powerful medicine.

Research into this wonder has been ongoing for decades. I'd offer a few links to the best studies but there are 2,800,000 hits on "placebo effect" and, well, I ran out of time trying to review them. I will send you here, though, to read Mead's blogpost of his five short TEDMED talks, including the one below.

WARNING: If you tend to squeamishness, please do not watch this. (It's not all that awful but I don't want to be responsible for your reactions.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

to early for me to watch...not with it.