viernes, 17 de mayo de 2013

App Delivers 'Virtual Placebo' to Improve Your Health

Researchers from PlaceboEffect.com are raising funds through Indiegogo to create an app that administers a virtual placebo. No pills, no doctors — just pictures.

Here's how it works: You begin the experience by choosing which lifestyle aspect you'd like to change — say, quitting smoking or decreasing stress — before scheduling an alarm-like reminder to "take it" each day. Then, you can personalize it further by choosing exactly what you'll be taking (it doesn't need to be a picture of a pill).

The whole idea is to create a comfortable "happy place" to achieve the proper effect. With the right mindset, the group says, the act of routinely pressing buttons and watching your smartphone's screen will be equivalent to physically swallowing a sugar pill.

Watch the video above to learn more. At time of writing, the group had raised almost $10,000 of its $50,000 goal, with 18 days remaining to donate.

Would you give this a shot? Tell us what you think about it below. Stay up-to-date with the project here.

Image via iStockphoto, c-George

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