Unleashing the Placebo Effect: Cognitive Connectedness with Placebo Analgesics Predicts Analgesic Outcomes — Evidence from Two Randomized Controlled Studies

Placebo analgesia has traditionally been understood to require the active administration of treatment. This paper presents two pre-registered studies demonstrating that a strong sense of connectedness with an owned placebo analgesic can enhance analgesia even without active application. In Study 1 ( N  = 121), healthy participants were randomized to possess (1) a placebo cream with induced self-object connection, (2) a placebo cream with induced self-object disconnection, (3) a pain-irrelevant cream, or (4) no cream. All participants underwent a cold-pressor-test to experience acute pain. Results indicated that participants in the induced self-object connection condition exhibited significantly higher pain threshold, longer pain tolerance, and a greater likelihood of hand submersion in cold water ( p s < .05) than other conditions. In Study 2 ( N  = 66), an Implicit Association Test (IAT) revealed that participants possessing a placebo cream demonstrated stronger self-association, resulting in enhanced analgesic responses ( p s < .05). These findings highlight the significance of cognitive factors in pain modulation.