(单词翻译:单击)
Different Placebos Can Have Different Effects
不同的安慰剂作用不同
When it comes to providing pain relief, expectations can be a powerful prescription. That’s part of the theory behind the placebo effect, in which people often report feeling better—even after a sugar pill or sham procedure—simply because they expect improvement.
缓解疼痛时，期望是一剂良方。这是安慰剂理论的一部分。人们吃一个糖药丸或者做了假的治疗之后都会觉得状况变好了，这仅仅是因为人们期望有好转。
Now a study finds that there may be levels of placebo effect.
现在一项研究发现安慰剂效应也分级。
Forty-five healthy volunteers had a heating electrode placed on their skin to cause discomfort. Over multiple sessions, they were either given nothing, or Tylenol, or needle-free acupuncture or electro-acupuncture, in which the needles carry a slight current.
四十五个健康的实验者在皮肤上放置了热电极引起不适。在不同的时间段内，不给予刺激或者给予他们泰诺林或者无针针灸或者用带电的针给予电灸。
Painkillers should let them tolerate the heat longer. The hitch was that the Tylenol and needle-free conventional acupuncture were fakes.
止痛药能让他们忍受更长时间。但是问题是泰诺林和乌镇针灸是假的。
The subjects were later interviewed about their expectations. And their feelings about each treatment largely determined its effect. Those who thought the acupuncture would work were more likely to report pain reduction from both the real and fake acu-treatments. The findings are in the journal PLoS ONE.
实验者随后被采访说出他们的期望。他们对每项治疗的感受很大程度上决定了疗效。觉得针灸有用的人表示真正的针灸和假的针灸治疗都有用。研究结果发表在期刊《公共科学图书馆•综合》上。
They suggest a variable placebo effect, one that may depend on whether you swallow that sugar pill with a grain of salt.
他们暗示安慰剂效应会有所变化，可能取决于你是不是用一粒盐吞下的糖药丸。
—Katherine Harmon
