Back in the 1950s, a bedridden man faced certain death from cancer of the lymph nodes.
Tumors the size of oranges had invaded the man's neck, groin, chest, and abdomen. The patient's only hope was a new experimental cancer drug called Krebiozen.
Three days after initial treatment, the man was out of bed and joking with nurses. As treatment continued, his tumors shrunk in half.
Ten more days later, he was discharged from the hospital … the cancer was gone.
Strangely enough, none of the other cancer patients treated with Krebiozen showed any improvement.
Stranger still, a few years later it was conclusively determined that Krebiozen had no therapeutic value whatsoever.
Welcome to the power of the placebo effect.
The placebo effect and the power of belief and experience
A placebo is, by definition, a substance that doesn't actually provide the promised benefit. In other words, it's not real.
The placebo effect, however, is very real.
Research spanning decades demonstrates time and again that placebos (sham treatments) have resulted in true beneficial results. According to Scientific American, "placebos have helped alleviate pain, depression, anxiety, Parkinson's disease, inflammatory disorders and even cancer."
The placebo effect works in very real ways because people consciously believe the treatment will work. Not only that, but the experience of being treated, even with a "fake" medication, creates subconscious associations that lead to recovery.
Belief and experience are two vital ingredients of effective marketing as well. In other words, the things we buy fulfill our expectations if belief and experience remain consistent, regardless of “reality.”
Can a glass make wine taste better?
Consider the case of Riedel wine glasses, a highly successful line of glass-blown wine receptacle...
