scholarly journals Information About the Optimism of a Placebo/Nocebo Provider and Placebo/Nocebo Side Effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carina Schlintl ◽  
Anne Schienle
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Side Effect ◽  
Drug Product ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Personal Contact ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Written Information ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Oil Sunflower ◽  
Positive Side Effects

BackgroundResearch has demonstrated that personality characteristics, such as optimism are associated with placebo/nocebo responding. The present study investigated whether written information about the optimism of a placebo/nocebo provider can influence the occurrence of reported placebo/nocebo side effects.MethodWe analyzed data from 201 females (mean age = 26 years) who participated in a “clinical study on a new massage oil with stone clover extract.” The oil (sunflower oil) was introduced as either eliciting a negative side effect (unpleasant itching; “nocebo oil”) or a positive side effect (pleasant tingling; “placebo oil”). The administration of the oil was combined with written information about the maker of the product. The oil maker was either portrayed as a very optimistic person or no personal information was provided (only the company name). The participants had no personal contact with the experimenter and received all materials and instructions per post.ResultsThe participants reported more frequent and intense itching when they received a nocebo suggestion compared to a placebo suggestion. Positive tingling sensations were reported more frequently than itching but did not differ between the placebo/nocebo conditions. Information about the optimism of the oil maker was associated with a lower frequency of reported side effects (adverse and beneficial).ConclusionThis study demonstrated that it is sufficient to provide participants with written information about an inert substance to elicit the suggested side effect. Information about the provider’s optimistic personality did not specifically influence reported side effects. Future studies should focus on how to adapt written information about a drug/product to minimize adverse side effects and to maximize positive side effects.

Why so different? A case study about Floras from a Mediterranean island

Phytotaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 440 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
SIMONETTA BAGELLA ◽  
GIOVANNA BECCA ◽  
GIANNI BEDINI ◽  
MARIA CARMELA CARIA ◽  
STEFANIA PISANU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Floristic Richness ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Mediterranean Island ◽  
Positive Side Effects

In light of the hypothesis that different authors, who have access to the same information and tools, can give different interpretations of the same reality, namely the vascular plants, existing within a determinate geographic boundary, this research aims to verify how and to what extent these differences can affect a checklist, and what critical issues and positive effects may arise in them.         To this purpose, we compared two different checklists which were developed approximately in the same period for the same geographic area, the island of Sardinia (Italy).        The results show that checklists of the same area can differ in quantitative terms, establishing a different value of floristic richness. Moreover, they can differ in qualitative terms due to the different approach adopted by the authors concerning nomenclature, taxonomy, and interpretation, delimitation, and circumscription of taxa.                These discrepancies may have positive side effects as they offer insights for critical reviews and further investigation.

scholarly journals A Silver Hope in the Dreadful Pandemic: Shift towards a Healthier Lifestyle, Hygiene and Cleanliness

2021 ◽  
pp. 162-167
Author(s):  
Rishabh Dhabalia
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
World Health Organisation ◽  
World Health ◽  
The Past ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
Small Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Reign Of Terror ◽  
Positive Side Effects

The COVID-19 pandemic has spread its terror globally for over a year now. There is no continent that has been spared by this scourge. And perhaps a few small countries with no reported cases. Regardless, it is an irrefutable fact that this novel coronavirus pandemic has shaken the pillars of human civilization. For those unaware or living under a rock since the past year or so, the disease is caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The first cases were reported to the World Health Organisation as a cluster of pneumonia from unknown causes from Wuhan, China on the 31st December, 2019. And, thus began its reign of terror, spreading across the world, like hot cakes sold out in a carnival. That being said, humanity has suffered a lot at the hands of the pandemic. Innumerous deaths, sufferings, unending lockdowns and curfews, social problems, people losing their livelihoods and the list goes on. It is, thus, easy to give in to the mood of gloom and doom with all that is going on around us. However, just as with anything, there is a side too, that is scarcely talked about. There have also been some positive impacts of this pandemic that one couldn’t have foreseen beforehand. So, without further ado, below we have covered a few positive side effects of this curse of a pandemic!

Loneliness vs. Solitude: Recognizing the Difference for ourselves and for our Clients in Light of COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 368-378
Author(s):  
Jillian Landers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Current Literature ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
Positive Side Effects

During COVID-19 the practice of social distancing has affected society in various ways. There is still much to learn about the harmful effects of isolation due to social distancing on societal mental health, however, others have noted potentially positive side effects from social distancing such as the observance of solitude (Levine, 2020; Mercier et al., 2021). Solitude and loneliness are distinct experiences (Melvin, 2021). This point of view article contends that Christian social workers should consider the ramifications of both loneliness and solitude in light of COVID-19. This article utilizes Christian scriptures and current literature to define and discuss the differences between loneliness and solitude. There is also a discussion throughout the article about how Christian social workers can recognize and utilize these concepts in their practice with clients and in their own self-care.      

From ‘the Bads of Goods’ to ‘the Goods of Bads’: The Most Recent Developments in Ulrich Beck’s Cosmopolitan Sociology

2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 157-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Rasborg
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Risk Society ◽  
International Terrorism ◽  
Positive Side ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Negative Side Effects ◽  
Positive Side Effects ◽  
Important Shift

The article critically assesses Ulrich Beck’s body of work and its importance for contemporary sociology. It demonstrates that Beck’s elaboration of his original theory of the ‘risk society’ into a theory of the ‘world risk society’, ‘cosmopolitanism’ and ‘metamorphosis’ involved several key theoretical innovations. Firstly, Beck adjusted his notion of risk to include the threat of international terrorism in his diagnosis of the (world) risk society. Secondly, he introduced a distinction between (normative) ‘cosmopolitanism’ and (real existing) ‘cosmopolitization’ in order to capture the specificity of contemporary social change. Thirdly and most recently, Beck outlined a theory of ‘the metamorphosis of the world’ which marks an important shift of emphasis from ‘the negative side effects of goods’ to ‘the positive side effects of bads’. In conclusion, the article identifies a number of theoretical ambiguities and unresolved questions in Beck’s theory.

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