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Word of the day: nocebo
Oct. 18th, 2006 09:21 amhttp://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=nocebo&x=0&y=0
Yes, it's the opposite of placebo. The great example I heard was on Penn Jillette's Friday the 13th podcast where Michael Goudeau told a tale of wishing a magician "Good Luck" backstage, and the magician getting so freaked out at how unlucky that is that he burned himself on stage about a minute later.
For some reason, I really like this word.
Main Entry: no·ce·bo
Pronunciation: "nO-'sE-(")bO
Function: noun
: a harmless substance that when taken by a patient is associated with harmful effects due to negative expectations or the psychological condition of the patient
Yes, it's the opposite of placebo. The great example I heard was on Penn Jillette's Friday the 13th podcast where Michael Goudeau told a tale of wishing a magician "Good Luck" backstage, and the magician getting so freaked out at how unlucky that is that he burned himself on stage about a minute later.
For some reason, I really like this word.
