346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 17, 2026 · 59 MIN

346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher

from You Are Not So Smart · host You Are Not So Smart

The suffering is real, but the source may not be what you assume. That's the essence of the nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin. As neuroscientist Dr. Helen Pilcher explains, illness is not simply a matter of biology. Our thoughts, conscious or otherwise, can make lead to symptoms in unexpected ways.  Previous Episodes How Minds Change Dr. Helen Pilcher This Book May Cause Side Effects David McRaney’s Twitter David McRaney’s BlueSky YANSS Twitter YANSS Facebook Newsletter Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 17, 2026

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The suffering is real, but the source may not be what you assume. That's the essence of the nocebo effect, the placebo effect's evil twin. As neuroscientist Dr. Helen Pilcher explains, illness is not simply a matter of biology. Our thoughts, conscious or otherwise, can make lead to symptoms in unexpected ways.

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346 - No Nocebo Effect - Helen Pilcher

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