Definitions for "Placebo effect"
a reaction by a patient who receives a placebo{2}, in which the symptoms of illness are lessened or an anticipated effect is experienced. Because the placebo{2} itself has no pharmacological activity, this reaction is mediated by the expectations of the patient receiving the placebo{2}; the reaction is considered as an example of the power of suggestion.
a cure or alleviation of symptoms following an intervention which the patient believes to be effective against the ailment, but which, in fact, is completely neutral (e.g., a sugar pill). Such effects seem to based on the person's own self-healing capacity, which is triggered by the belief that they are receiving an active medication.
In clinical experiments where a "placebo" has been administered to the control group, test subjects sometimes show changes equally strong or stronger than that of the experimental group in which the placebo has not been administered. The precise cause for the effect is unknown, but believed to have a basis in the power of individual belief.
allows you to appear to be the best thing since sliced bread while the breadbin disintegrates