10.15
Placebo effects have been used in many capacities since the 1800’s where the definition in a medical sense was defined as “any medicine adapted more to please than to benefit the patient.” They have proven invaluable in certain situations to give relief to people merely because they believe they have taken a drug or procedure that will help them. Even real drugs, when used without the patient’s knowledge, are less effective than if the person knows they are being given to them. This represents a psychological link between general health and well-being, and the mind. Placebos used in medicine are quite common, however the placebo effect has uses far outside of medical practice.
Walk buttons placed at intersections for use by pedestrians, for example, are rarely hooked up to any device that changes the lights. The feeling of control given to the person using this button can give the illusion of their wait time being reduced, or that they have more of an influence on their current situation. Merely telling this machine that you are here, and that you are waiting, seems to create more piece of mind. Likewise, many employers allow thermostat controls to be adjusted in their employee’s common work areas – when in fact the controls are simply a placebo put in place to grant the person a feeling that they can in fact change their environment slightly.
Another common usage of placebo effects can be seen in Democratic Republics such as the United States with the practice of voting.