All you Potterheads probably remember the scene in Half-Blood Prince where Harry makes Ron believe he slipped some Liquid Luck into a drink. Ron goes on to do very well in the Quidditch match he was initially very sceptical about. When Hermione later accuses Harry of cheating, he reveals a full bottle of Liquid Luck! This is in fact the Placebo Effect. Ron gained confidence by the very thought of having consumed Liquid Luck.
The Placebo Effect is defined as a benefit after the administration of an inactive substance or treatment in place of one that has medicinal value. There is a lot of controversy around this but doctors who prescribe placebos have only the patients’ best interests at heart.
Did you know that the Placebo Effect has an opposite called the Nocebo Effect? This is when a patient experiences adverse side-effects due to a harmless placebo merely because of the expectation of negative symptoms!