Display options
Cite
Bernstein MH, Locher C, Kube T, et al. Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine': The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies. Front Psychol. 2020;11:1354doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354.
Bernstein, M. H., Locher, C., Kube, T., Buergler, S., Stewart-Ferrer, S., & Blease, C. (2020). Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine': The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies. Frontiers in psychology, 111354. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354
Bernstein, Michael H, et al. "Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine': The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies." Frontiers in psychology vol. 11 (2020): 1354. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354
Bernstein MH, Locher C, Kube T, Buergler S, Stewart-Ferrer S, Blease C. Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine': The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies. Front Psychol. 2020 Jul 22;11:1354. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354. eCollection 2020. PMID: 32774310; PMCID: PMC7387723.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Front Psychol. 2020 Jul 22;11:1354. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354. eCollection 2020.

Putting the 'Art' Into the 'Art of Medicine': The Under-Explored Role of Artifacts in Placebo Studies.

Frontiers in psychology

Michael H Bernstein, Cosima Locher, Tobias Kube, Sarah Buergler, Sif Stewart-Ferrer, Charlotte Blease

Affiliations

  1. Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
  2. School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
  3. Division of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
  4. Division of General Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.
  5. Pain and Psychotherapy Research Lab, University of Koblenz-Landau, Landau, Germany.
  6. Research Unit of General Practice, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
  7. School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.

PMID: 32774310 PMCID: PMC7387723 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01354

Abstract

Research in social psychology demonstrates that physical environmental factors - or "artifacts" such as provider clothing and office décor - can influence health outcomes. However, the role of artifacts in augmenting or diminishing health outcomes is under-explored in the burgeoning discipline of placebo studies. In this paper, we argue that a careful consideration of artifacts may carry significant potential in informing how placebo effects can be maximized, and nocebo effects minimized in clinical settings. We discuss the potential mechanisms, including classical conditioning, response expectancy, and mindsets, by which artifacts might enhance or diminish these effects. Next, we propose testable hypotheses to investigate how placebo and nocebo effects might be elicited by artifacts in care settings, and conclude by providing innovative research designs to advance this novel research agendum.

Copyright © 2020 Bernstein, Locher, Kube, Buergler, Stewart-Ferrer and Blease.

Keywords: classical conditioning; expectancy; mindset; placebo; placebo effects; psychology

References

  1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Sep 25;109(39):15959-64 - PubMed
  2. BMJ. 2008 May 3;336(7651):999-1003 - PubMed
  3. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2014;225:121-36 - PubMed
  4. Bioethics. 2016 Jul;30(6):407-14 - PubMed
  5. Health Psychol. 2019 Jul;38(7):613-622 - PubMed
  6. Ir Med J. 2008 Jul-Aug;101(7):211-3 - PubMed
  7. Pain Rep. 2019 Jun 07;4(3):e698 - PubMed
  8. Lancet Psychiatry. 2016 Feb;3(2):100-2 - PubMed
  9. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2014;225:139-47 - PubMed
  10. PLoS One. 2017 Jul 27;12(7):e0181856 - PubMed
  11. Am J Med. 2005 Nov;118(11):1279-86 - PubMed
  12. Pain. 1997 Aug;72(1-2):107-13 - PubMed
  13. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1981 May 16;282(6276):1576-8 - PubMed
  14. Aust J Gen Pract. 2019 Oct;48(10):700-705 - PubMed
  15. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Jul 04;10:475 - PubMed
  16. Am J Bioeth. 2015;15(10):3-12 - PubMed
  17. Med Clin North Am. 1953 Nov;1:1821-6 - PubMed
  18. Pain. 2019 Jan;160(1):1-4 - PubMed
  19. World Psychiatry. 2017 Oct;16(3):287-298 - PubMed
  20. Psychol Sci. 2005 Sep;16(9):689-93 - PubMed
  21. Patient Educ Couns. 2012 Dec;89(3):387-91 - PubMed
  22. Nat Biotechnol. 2018 Jun 6;36(6):481-482 - PubMed
  23. Sci Transl Med. 2014 Jan 8;6(218):218ra5 - PubMed
  24. Perspect Biol Med. 2018;61(3):412-429 - PubMed
  25. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2012 Jun;109(26):459-65 - PubMed
  26. Perspect Psychol Sci. 2012 Mar;7(2):176-86 - PubMed
  27. Med J Aust. 2001 Aug 20;175(4):219-22 - PubMed
  28. Pain. 2017 Jun;158(6):1014-1020 - PubMed
  29. Psychother Psychosom. 2018;87(4):204-210 - PubMed
  30. BMJ Open. 2015 Jan 19;5(1):e006578 - PubMed
  31. PLoS One. 2018 Aug 24;13(8):e0202211 - PubMed
  32. Neurology. 2017 May 16;88(20):1912-1918 - PubMed
  33. J Neurosci. 2007 Oct 31;27(44):11934-9 - PubMed
  34. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2005 Aug;89(2):143-59 - PubMed
  35. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2018;138:137-160 - PubMed
  36. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2008 Nov;69(6):878-84 - PubMed
  37. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Aug;17(8):763-7 - PubMed
  38. BMJ. 1996 Dec 21-28;313(7072):1624-6 - PubMed
  39. Health Psychol. 2013 May;32(5):460-73 - PubMed
  40. Pain. 2017 Dec;158(12):2320-2328 - PubMed
  41. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1985 Jan;48(1):47-53 - PubMed
  42. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1987 May 9;294(6581):1200-2 - PubMed
  43. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2018;138:81-93 - PubMed
  44. BMJ Open. 2018 May 29;8(5):e021239 - PubMed
  45. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2013 Mar;12(3):191-204 - PubMed
  46. Health Psychol. 2017 Nov;36(11):1074-1082 - PubMed
  47. Psychiatr Q. 1968;42(4):653-95 - PubMed
  48. Lancet. 2010 Feb 20;375(9715):686-95 - PubMed
  49. Med World. 1961 Sep;95:203-5 - PubMed
  50. N Engl J Med. 2015 Jul 2;373(1):8-9 - PubMed
  51. J Med Ethics. 2012 Apr;38(4):199-203 - PubMed
  52. J Med Ethics. 2018 Nov;44(11):774-781 - PubMed
  53. Handb Exp Pharmacol. 2014;225:291-303 - PubMed
  54. J R Soc Med. 1999 Oct;92(10):511-5 - PubMed
  55. Front Psychiatry. 2019 Jun 13;10:407 - PubMed
  56. Drug Discov Today. 2017 Apr;22(4):729-735 - PubMed
  57. Am Psychol. 1988 Mar;43(3):151-60 - PubMed
  58. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2019 Jul;27(4):421-428 - PubMed
  59. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 Jun 23;112(25):7863-7 - PubMed
  60. Pain. 2009 Jul;144(1-2):28-34 - PubMed
  61. Health Psychol. 2016 Feb;35(2):187-90 - PubMed
  62. Cereb Cortex. 2015 Oct;25(10):3903-10 - PubMed
  63. Science. 1984 Apr 27;224(4647):420-1 - PubMed
  64. Am J Psychiatry. 1959 Oct;116:298-304 - PubMed
  65. N Engl J Med. 2020 Feb 6;382(6):554-561 - PubMed
  66. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2017 Jul 25;40:167-188 - PubMed
  67. J Neurosci. 1999 Jan 1;19(1):484-94 - PubMed
  68. PLoS One. 2014 Aug 27;9(8):e106337 - PubMed
  69. JAMA. 2012 Feb 8;307(6):567-8 - PubMed
  70. Cancer. 2010 Feb 1;116(3):766-74 - PubMed
  71. Clin Med (Lond). 2009 Dec;9(6):519-24 - PubMed
  72. Saudi Med J. 2012 Jul;33(7):763-7 - PubMed
  73. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Mar 11;10:219 - PubMed
  74. HERD. 2014 Spring;7(3):38-59 - PubMed
  75. Br J Health Psychol. 2020 Sep;25(3):596-614 - PubMed
  76. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2010;154(51-52):A2898 - PubMed
  77. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2015 Jul;16(7):403-18 - PubMed
  78. Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2013 Sep-Oct;59(5):452-9 - PubMed
  79. J Neurosci. 1999 May 1;19(9):3639-48 - PubMed
  80. Health Place. 2013 May;21:122-32 - PubMed

Publication Types

Grant support