Nocebo Effect: Placebo’s Evil Twin

The majority of us have heard about the placebo effect and the impact it can have on the brain and body. But have you heard of the nocebo effect? Placebo’s evil twin can affect us all and it is having a real impact on our health.

This episode we talk to Dr Rebecca Webster about her research on the nocebo effect, a relatively new area of psychology research, and the impact that it is having on our health - particularly women's health and the relationship many women have with the contraceptive pill. We look at the factors that can cause it, the difficulties in researching this area and what might come next in the field.

Dr Rebecca Webster is a lecturer in the School of Psychology whose research is in Health Psychology.