Is it possible to intentionally do something for a placebo effect?
Or is it the case that if you know that something doesn't have a particular effect, doing it will never make you feel as if you're experiencing the effect?
@moonbolt Afaik placebo is only minimally diminished by knowing it's placebo. That's why I really wish there was an inexpensive medicine officially sold at pharmacies called "Placebix" or something. Would be much better than homeopathy.
Although the effects are mostly on pain and some mental things, other effects are almost nonexistent.
@timorl @moonbolt
It's useful to note that there is a "return to mean" effect that's sometimes conflated with placebo: if you have some sort of ongoing issue that's stable, its intensity probably varies over time. You are more likely to try to do something about it when the intensity's higher, so it's more likely that things will improve after that point (regardless of whether you've actually done anything).