Tag Archive for: Placebo

Craig Pickering

Optimism in coaching: helpful or harmful?

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Are you a better than average driver? In an interesting study from the early 80s, researchers asked a small group of American and Swedish study participants this very question. Their answers were illuminating; 93% of Americans believed they were better than average drivers, as did 69% of Swedes. Logically, this makes no sense; only 50% of people can be better than average drivers, and yet, these study results suggest that many people are unable to accurately understand their true driving ability relative to others. Read more

Craig Pickering

Quantifying the placebo effect in sports performance

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Last month, I wrote about how the coach may act as a placebo, potentially exerting performance enhancing effects through a variety of means. The research discussed in that article was just s small part of recent efforts to better understand the influence of placebo effects on sporting performance. An upcoming special issue of European Journal of Sports Science aims to dig even more into the area, including another paper on the potential to further enhance our understanding of how placebo can affect performance. Read more

Craig Pickering

The coach as a placebo

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One area of sports performance that I constantly find myself fascinated with is that of placebo effects, and its related cousin, expectancy. I find it really interesting that an inert substance can exert clear performance enhancing effects, as this has potentially huge implications for sporting performance. Read more

Craig Pickering

The definitive guide to what we do and do not know about caffeine and performance

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Caffeine is a performance enhancing drug. If you’ve been following my articles over the last couple of years, you’ll no doubt be aware of that, because I write about it a lot. Athletes, of course, know that caffeine has the potential to enhance their performance, which is why many of them consume it prior to training and competition. Additionally, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) know that caffeine is a performance enhancing drug and are, rightly, concerned about the abuse of caffeine in sport. Read more

Craig Pickering

Sports Science Monthly – February 2018

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The February edition of Sports Science Monthly is perhaps our most in-depth yet. We take a look at 10 new studies this month on a variety of topics from how soon injury rehabilitation should start, adaptations from small-sided games, how resistance training stacks up against plyometrics, and the ketogenic diet for athletes. In addition, we dive into some novel topics like new research on the placebo effect, RPE, and stress contagion. Read more

Martin Bingisser

HMMR Podcast Episode 75: Science and Nutrition (with Craig Pickering)

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The nutrition world is so filled with gurus and pseudo science that it can be difficult to separate the truth from fiction. Olympian and HMMR Media sports science correspondent Craig Pickering joins this week’s episode to give us an update on the latest research and insights from the world of nutrition and what that means to us as athletes. Read more

Craig Pickering

How The Placebo Effect Can Help You

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Placebo (noun): “A medicine or procedure prescribed for the psychological benefit to the patient rather than for any physiological effect.” Read more