noun
nocebo
Nocebo (noun) means a harmless substance that makes a patient feel worse simply because they expect it to.
noun
1
A harmless substance that makes a patient feel worse simply because they expect it to.
"It seems to be a "nocebo" effect – the self-diagnosed gluten sensitive patients expected to feel worse on the study diets, so they did."
— Jennifer Welsh, Researchers who Provided Key Evidence for Gluten Sensitivity have now Thoroughly Shown that It Doesn’t Exist (2014)
"In the case of the nocebo, it is negative expectations that become self-fulfilling prophecies."
— Stuart Blackman, Why health warnings can be bad (2009)
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Etymology
Borrowed from Latin nocēbō (“I will harm”), the first-person singular future active indicative form of noceō (“to harm”), by analogy with placebo. The word was coined by Walter P. Kennedy in an article entitled “The Nocebo Reaction” (1961). (see quotation).
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See all rhymes for nocebo →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of nocebo?
"nocebo" (noun) means a harmless substance that makes a patient feel worse simply because they expect it to.
What is the opposite of nocebo?
The opposite of "nocebo" is placebo.
