The Placebo Effect in Action

Good morning - Welcome back to the newsletter.

I hope you’re staying cool in the summer heat and having a nice end to July.

Today, we’ll be talking about a nutrition study that blew my mind.

Shoutout to my friend Tommy, for introducing me to this study and inspiring some of the ideas discussed below. He’s an incredible photographer, so I’d recommend checking out his prints for sale or shooting him a follow on Instagram.

With that said, let’s jump in.

The Placebo Effect & The Study:

The Placebo Effect refers to the beneficial effect that belief may have over the efficacy of a treatment or drug. Throughout numerous studies, doctors observed positive outcomes for patients, despite a placebo treatment (often a sugar pill).

As Professor Ted Kaptchuk describes, the Placebo Effect is "more than positive thinking — believing a treatment or procedure will work. It's about creating a stronger connection between the brain and body and how they work together."

Dr. Alia Crum, a clinical psychologist at Yale University, is another leading researcher in the field and has studied the placebo effect for years.

In 2011, she & her colleagues published a fascinating nutrition study that also happens to have one of the best academic titles I’ve ever heard: Mind Over Milkshakes: Mindsets, Not Just Nutrients, Determine Ghrelin Response.

I’d highly recommend reading this article or watching this entertaining 3-minute YouTube video for an extremely well-done summary.

If you watch the video or read the article, feel free to jump down to the next section.

Here’s the gist of what happened.

46 test subjects were put into two groups and all participants were given a milkshake. The only difference was one group was told that they’d be consuming a healthy, diet drink with only 140 calories, while the other group was told they’d be drinking an indulgent, sugar and fat-laden, drink with 620 calories.

The truth was, both groups were given the same milkshake that contained 380 calories.

Unsurprisingly, the subjects considered their food assignments and, either consciously or unconsciously, developed beliefs about what they’d be consuming— whether it was “good” or “bad” for them— much like we all do whenever we go out to eat or prepare foods at home.

Here’s were things get interesting.

Dr. Crum and her team measured what’s known as the “hunger-hormone,” gherlin, in the participants.

The results showed that ghrelin levels were directly related to what the participants thought they were eating.

The subjects that believed they were having the “indulgent” milkshake experienced a plummet in gherlin levels, meaning— their bodies responded as if they had eaten 3x more than they actually did.

In the other group, those that thought they had the “heathy” shake, the ghrelin response was far less significant.

In short, what people believed about their food, came true.

As Dr. Crum concluded, “Our beliefs matter in virtually every domain, in everything we do.” “How much is a mystery, but I don’t think we’ve given enough credit to the role of our beliefs in determining our physiology, our reality.”

So what does applying this study look like?

Employing The Study Results:

This past weekend I went out to eat at a new homemade pizza restaurant.

You know— the type with wood-fire ovens & fresh mozz that makes your mouth drool.

Years ago, I would have avoided this place like the plague because of what (I thought) gluten & dairy would have done to my gut health.

I would have labeled this type of food as “indulgent” or even “bad”— and no surprise, that’s exactly how my body used to respond.

This weekend, however, I tried leaning into the Placebo Effect.

As I was eating, I thought, “This food is nourishing me & my body.”

“This meal is connecting me with others and building our relationship.”

“I am grateful for this food and all that contributed to making it.”

"Holy shit... this pizza is INCREDIBLE."

While I don’t have scientific results or biomarkers of how my body responded to this meal, I can tell you one thing— I felt pretty damn good.

No bloat, no guilt, just really great pizza & people.

Sometimes, changing the story can change everything.

So What Do We Do With This?

I share this study and story to build awareness.

Just understanding the importance of the stories we tell ourselves is a huge step forward.

Yes, this study pertained to nutrition & hormonal responses, but I would posit that the Placebo Effect affects everything we do, all the time.

How we think & feel about a situation or circumstance INEVITABLY impacts the results we experience.

For example, have you ever found it unusual that Italy, a country of abundant wine & pasta, is widely considered the healthiest in the world?

I certainly have, especially considering that pasta & alcohol are two of the things that my body has the most trouble digesting. That’s probably because America’s food production system is a dumpster fire compared to Italy’s— but that’s a newsletter for another time.

Even so, Italy's enthusiasm for wine and positive health outcomes seem quite unusual at first glance. Paradoxical, even.

However, there seem to be numerous other health benefits that are not as obvious, such as the tradition, connection, and community that sharing wine can provide.

In essence, it comes down to the story they & we tell ourselves.

Is alcohol bad because it leads to anger and bad decisions?

Or can it be useful because of the social lubricant and community-building properties?

These questions are highly unique to the individual based on preference & circumstance, so I most certainly don’t have the answers here…

But the important piece is we’re asking the right questions.

For alcohol and (primarily) beyond. Here’s some others to consider:

What if we redefined the narratives we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world?

How might we reframe these stories?

How might we incorporate nuance rather than operate within black-or-white thinking?

What if we choose to believe in the good rather than the bad?

As Albert Einstein once said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.”

Why not chose a friendly one?

1 Video That Proves Hope Is Always Possible

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again— Yes Theory is making the best content on the internet right now.

In their most recent episode, host Thomas Bragg spends a week in Syria to explore the stories & realities of arguably the most dangerous country in the world.

Since I can remember, I’ve seen the news broadcasting the tragedies occurring in this country. This documentary was equal parts surprising, heart-breaking, beautiful, and perspective-shattering.

I promise it will leave you inspired by the resilience of the Syrian people and grateful for the life you're currently living.

Check it out HERE and have a GREAT week.

With love & gratitude,

Aidan