Dispositional Optimism Predicts Placebo Analgesia
Journal of PainPublished 3 June 2010Open access
Andrew L. Geers, Justin A. Wellman, Stephanie L. Fowler, Suzanne G. Helfer, Christopher France
Citations182
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TL;DR
Dispositional optimism was related to less cold pressor pain in the placebo condition as compared with the control condition, and future studies should examine the potential role that this individual difference factor may play in patient responsivity to pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments for clinical pain.
Abstract
This study examined the possibility that individual differences can predict placebo analgesia. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo expectation or no expectation before a cold pressor task. Dispositional optimism was related to less cold pressor pain in the placebo condition as compared with the control condition.
Keywords
PsychologyMedicineNeuroscience
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