Until now, no research had investigated whether a traditional placebo could influence abilities that naturally decline with age.
"Our goal," Professor Pagnini explains, "was to clarify whether an open-label placebo therapy (i.e., where the recipient is aware it is a placebo) or a fake supplement (people don't know it's a placebo) could influence psychological, cognitive, and physical functions in older adults living in the community."
To explore that question, the researchers recruited 90 healthy older adults and randomly assigned them to one of three groups. One group received no treatment at all. A second group received placebo pills but was told the pills contained active ingredients designed to improve well-being and physical function. The third group received the same inactive pills but was openly informed that the pills were placebos that could still trigger beneficial mind-body responses.
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