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It has been posited that ingesting a pill constitutes a pivotal action that facilitates the effects of open-label placebos (OLPs: placebos honestly prescribed). In the present OLP experiment, the motor components of a placebo treatment were systematically varied. The participants (n = 183) were randomly allocated to one of four groups that all viewed aversive pictures. The 'active OLP' group took a placebo pill with specific instructions concerning the sequence of motor actions for the intake. The 'usual OLP' group swallowed the pill (without specific motor instructions), while the third group received an 'imaginary OLP' (no pill intake). The fourth group applied cognitive reappraisal (CR; active control group) to reduce emotional distress. The participants rated their affective state as well as the efficacy and plausibility of the treatment approach. Moreover, blood pressure and pulse were recorded as indicators of bodily arousal. The four groups did not differ in their valence ratings and physiological measures. The 'imaginary OLP' received higher ratings for both effectiveness and plausibility than the 'usual OLP'. CR was rated as superior relative to all OLP conditions. In conclusion, reducing emotional distress with OLPs does not necessitate the consumption of a placebo pill. In terms of acceptability and ease of implementation, CR stands as a well-established alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 pandemic has accelerated the spread of conspiracy theories. Previous research has found that individuals who struggle with emotion regulation are more prone to believing in conspiracy theories. Emotional granularity, or the ability to differentiate between nuanced emotional states, is a key component of effective emotion regulation, yet its relationship with conspiracy beliefs has not been explored thoroughly. Thus, we conducted an experience‐sampling study (165 participants, mean age = 26.32 years) including measures of emotion regulation and differentiation. The findings revealed that individuals who endorse conspiracy theories engage in repetitive thinking about the causes and consequences of events and exhibit a reduced ability to distinguish between negative emotions. This effect, however, was observed only in the performance‐based measure of emotion differentiation, not in the self‐report measures. This suggests that enhancing emotional granularity may help individuals in regulating their emotions more effectively, thereby reducing their vulnerability to adopt conspiracy beliefs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A lack of sleep can increase appetite, particularly for high‐calorie food. The current study tested the effects of an open‐label placebo for improving sleep quality and reducing food cue reactivity. In open‐label placebo interventions, placebo recipients are informed that they are receiving a placebo without a pharmacologically active substance. Participants (n = 150) were randomly allocated to one of three groups that received either an open‐label placebo to improve sleep quality, a deceptive placebo ("melatonin"), or no placebo. The placebo was administered daily before bedtime for 1 week. Sleep quality and reactivity to high‐calorie food cues (appetite, visual attention to food images) were assessed. The deceptive placebo (but not the open‐label placebo) reduced reported sleep‐onset latency. The open‐label placebo decreased perceived sleep efficiency. The placebo interventions did not change food cue reactivity. This study demonstrated that open‐label placebos do not present an alternative to deceptive placebos for improving sleep quality. The undesirable open‐label placebo effects found warrant further exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emotion regulation often involves shifting attentional focus. This eye-tracking study with a divided attention task compared nondeceptive placebo treatment and cognitive reappraisal for reducing emotional distress. It was investigated whether the two types of interventions would differ in attentional processes (directing attention toward the external environment vs. one’s body). Method: A total of 116 participants (mean age = 26.5 years; 50% female) were randomly allocated to one of three groups that were each exposed to images depicting body parts with or without injuries. One group received a placebo pill to reduce emotional distress, while another group engaged in cognitive reappraisal. The third group passively viewed the images. Half of the images were coupled with an electrocutaneous stimulus (at the perceptual threshold level) that was administered to participants’ forearms. The task was to view these images with eye-tracking glasses while also responding as quickly as possible to the tactile sensation evoked by the electrocutaneous stimulus (pressing a response button). Results: Cognitive reappraisal provoked a relative increase in total gaze time for injuries as predicted. The majority of participants in this group responded accurately to the electrocutaneous stimuli administered during injury images (no omissions). In contrast, the maximal number of omission errors was most prevalent in the placebo group. Limitations: Participants reported a low level of fear concerning injuries, which could indicate a selfselection bias. Conclusion: Both regulation strategies exerted a protective effect against emotional distress. However, cognitive reappraisal heightened attention, while a reverse pattern was found for placebo treatment. To assess the clinical implications of these findings, future studies should target patients with bloodinjury phobia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A commonly established protocol for the administration of open-label placebos (OLPs)—placebos honestly prescribed—emphasizes the necessity of ingesting the pill for the placebo effect to manifest. The current functional magnetic resonance imaging study used a novel approach to OLP administration: the imaginary intake of an OLP pill for regulating disgust. A total of 99 females were randomly allocated to one of three groups that either swallowed a placebo pill (OLP Pill), imagined the intake of a placebo pill (Imaginary Pill) or passively viewed (PV) repulsive and neutral images. The imaginary pill reduced reported disgust more effectively than the OLP pill and was also perceived as a more plausible method to reduce emotional distress. Relative to the OLP pill, the imaginary pill lowered neural activity in a region of interest involved in disgust processing: the pallidum. No signifcant differences in brain activation were found when comparing the OLP pill with PV. These fndings highlight that imagining the intake of an OLP emerged as a superior method for regulating feelings of disgust compared to the actual ingestion of a placebo pill. The study’s innovative approach sheds new light on the potential of placebo interventions in emotion regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: According to the elaborated intrusion theory of desire, an initial thought about a wanted substance is elaborated with mental imagery, which increases craving and the probability of consuming the substance. We used an app-assisted experience sampling approach to test this theory in the context of food craving and eating.Design: Overall, 221 females (mean age = 21 years; mean body mass index = 22) reported craving, mental imagery, and food consumption six times per day (2 h intervals) for seven consecutive days. Additionally, two traits (general food craving and imagery ability) were assessed.Main outcome measures: craving intensity, food consumption.Results: The probability of eating a craved food increased if the vividness of the mental food image and craving intensity increased two hours before – independent of trait food craving and trait imagery ability. We also found evidence of controlled eating behavior, with participants consuming the food they craved in only 38% of the cases.Conclusion: Mental imagery vividness and craving intensity predict consumption of craved food. The association between craving and eating might be stronger in individuals who struggle with controlling their eating behavior. Therefore, future studies should examine these relationships in overweight/obese samples or patients with eating disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]