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Worldbuilding

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    $\begingroup$ As an aside, weirdly there is considerable evidence that the placebo effect can work even when the patient knows it's a placebo. Presumably the compartment of the mind that 'knows' is separate from the compartment where it works. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 17:00
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    $\begingroup$ @peterG Or perhaps it is that if they know what the placebo effect is, they know that it works even though you know it's the placebo effect, thus causing the placebo effect itself to have the placebo effect. But it works, and we don't need to know why... $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 29, 2015 at 17:11
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    $\begingroup$ @peterG: I am an example of this. PhD in physics, years of training in biology, active anti-homeopath and science promulgator (ok, I am done). Now, when I have a headache I take some aspirin (the one which does pshhit when put in water) and I drink it. I am still drinking the water, it had no time yet to reach my stomach and poof, the headache is gone. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 9, 2018 at 20:59