Definify.com
Definition 2024
nocebo
nocebo
English
Noun
nocebo (plural nocebos)
- (pharmacology) A substance which a patient experiences as harmful due to previous negative perception, but which is in fact pharmacologically (medicinally) inactive.
- 2009, Stuart Blackman, "Why health warnings can be bad," Financial Times, 25 Apr. (retrieved 12 May 2009):
- In the case of the nocebo, it is negative expectations that become self-fulfilling prophecies.
- 2014, Jennifer Welsh, "Researchers Who Provided Key Evidence For Gluten Sensitivity Have Now Thoroughly Shown That It Doesn't Exist," Business Insider, 15 May 2014):
- It seems to be a "nocebo" effect — the self-diagnosed gluten sensitive patients expected to feel worse on the study diets, so they did.