Highlights
- •Absence of prior pain and merely possess a placebo analgesic enhanced pain relief .
- •The observed placebo analgesic effects were driven by expectations.
- •Experiencing prior pain hinder effects of experimenter-provided pain expectation.
- •Possessing a placebo analgesic induces object-to-self transference expectation.
- •Prior pain experience and placebo possession jointing influence pain experience.
Abstract
A recent study found that merely possessing a placebo analgesic reduces pain. The
current study tested for a possible moderator of this effect. Specifically, does the
mere possession of a placebo analgesic affect pain for individuals with and without
immediate prior experience with the pain task? Healthy participants (N = 127) were
randomized to prior pain (PP) condition or without prior pain (No-PP) condition. In
the PP condition, participants first did a preliminary trial of a cold pressor test
(CPT) to induce direct experience with this pain stimulus. Then they were randomized
to possess an inert cream described as either an analgesic cream or an anti-itch cream
(pain-irrelevant control object). Participants then completed the main CPT. In the
No-PP condition, participants underwent identical procedures and randomization except
that they did not do a preliminary CPT, thus having no immediate prior CPT pain experience.
We found a significant prior pain experience and possession status interaction effect
on placebo analgesia. Participants in the No-PP condition showed evidence of lower
pain when they merely possessed an analgesic cream than an anti-itch cream. Such mere
possession effect was not found in the PP condition. The impact of expectancy and
emotion on the underlying process are discussed.
Perspective
This article presents a novel finding that prior pain exposure and mere possession
of a placebo analgesic predicted placebo analgesia. It offers a novel perspective
on the time course of placebo effect. It provides practical implications on potential
pain intervention for clinicians and paradigm design for researchers of placebo study.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 27, 2020
Accepted:
October 2,
2020
Received in revised form:
September 30,
2020
Received:
June 12,
2020
Footnotes
Funding: The research was supported by the Faculty Research Grant (F102133) and General Research Fund (13600617) awarded by the Research Grant Council, Hong Kong to the first author. We thank Mr. Pui Chuen Tam, Mr. Eric Kenson Yau, Mr. Ting Kin Ng, and Ms Cherry Wan Cheuk Yue for providing research support.
Conflict of interest statement: Both authors have no conflicts of interest to report.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 by United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc.
