What if simple thoughts about ourselves could alter our body to feel and experience pain? If the thoughts, whether or not they are true, are believed enough, could they really alter our physical reality?
Our book talks about different effects that may come from various experimental designs, one of these being "The Nocebo Effect". Referred to as the "evil twin" of placebos, this effect signifies the notion for people, when told to expect a certain pain, feel it whether or not that warning was true.
An example of this in effect was a study conducted to a college class where the students were given sugar water. After they were told that it was a powerful emetic (causing nausea), 80% of the students vomited.
This is a fascinating phenomenon that to me illustrates the power of our brains and mental state on our body.
Sources:
http://altmed.creighton.edu/placebo/nocebo.htm
http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/05/the-nocebo-effect.html
Chapter 2 (Research Methods: safeguards against error) allows us to view insight on conducting research and the importance of good research design. By showing us fallacies in research and how findings can be skilled, it points out why we need necessary tools to be able to efficiently come to more reliable research findings with validity. It takes into account the ethical issues for research and evaluating conducted psychological research and claims.
Isn't it amazing what our minds can do? I always think about voodoo in these cases. People really can kill another person by "cursing them" as long as the person they curse believes that the curse works. Your own mind can kill you!