---
title: 'The Power of Suggestion'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=QDCcuCHOIyY'
video_id: 'QDCcuCHOIyY'
date: 2026-07-20
duration_sec: 1729
channel: 'Vsauce'
---

# The Power of Suggestion

> Source: [The Power of Suggestion](https://youtube.com/watch?v=QDCcuCHOIyY)

## Summary

This episode of Mind Field explores the power of suggestion and the placebo effect, demonstrating how a deactivated sham MRI scanner can produce real therapeutic benefits in children and adults. Through a series of experiments, the show reveals how belief in a treatment can trigger genuine physiological and psychological healing, even when the treatment is fake.

### Key Points

- **Placebo Effect Basics** [01:37] — The placebo effect works due to the power of suggestion, even though we don't fully understand how. Examples include sugar pills helping headaches more than no treatment, and the color, form, and administration method of placebos affecting their efficacy.
- **Study Participants** [03:27] — Three children with different conditions are introduced: Malaya (12) with anxiety and dermatillomania (skin picking), Nicholas (12) with post-concussion migraines, and Nathan (9) with ADHD. They have tried conventional methods without success.
- **Sham Scanner Study Design** [06:53] — The study uses a deactivated MRI scanner as an accessory-assisted placebo. Researchers employ multiple layers of deception, including a fake control room and sounds, to enhance the 'neuroenchantment' effect. The children are told the machine helps their brains heal themselves.
- **Adult Mind-Reading Experiment** [15:02] — College students are subjected to a fake mind-reading experiment using the same sham scanner. A magician (Jay) performs the illusion, and despite knowing about MRIs, the subjects are convinced the machine can read their thoughts, demonstrating neuroenchantment in adults.
- **Results and Outcomes** [22:48] — After placebo sessions, Malaya's skin picking reduced, Nicholas had no migraines for months, and Nathan showed improved behavior and sleep, allowing him to stop medication. The improvements were attributed to the power of suggestion, not the machine.
- **Ethical Deception and Lasting Effects** [26:29] — The study involved deception, but participants were debriefed and learned that the healing power came from within themselves. The positive effects persisted even after they knew the truth, suggesting that the placebo effect can have lasting benefits.

### Conclusion

The power of suggestion, harnessed through placebos and neuroenchantment, can produce real and lasting healing effects. This study highlights the potential of mind-body interventions in medicine, even when the treatment is a sham.

## Transcript

[dramatic music playing] It boasts an enrollment of more than 40,000 students The campus employs 1,700 professors
and it's proud to be home to 12 Nobel Prize winners. research universities in the world. that uses a brain scanning device to read people's minds
Or so their subjects think. anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraines, Tourette's and more.
The MRI machine behind me may look impressive, It's deactivated, nonfunctioning. is faith in science.
It's about the power of thoughts to heal. All you need is the power of suggestion.
[theme music playing]
but due to the power of suggestion But we don't fully understand yet how they work.
For example, if a small child hurts themselves, They keep the child safe and still
When help arrives, it has permission to redirect and onto actually healing.
by prescribing placebos. For example, a sugar pill will help your headache more And the color of the placebo matters, too.
A blue pill will work to make you feel calm because blue is a more calming color. and give you more energy
A capsule will work better than a pill because it looks more important.
Also, an injection will work better than a capsule and potent. have positive effects.
but the effects can be real. We're talking real physical healing, thanks to the power of the brain.
to meet local children struggling who would soon find out whether their afflictions could be cured by the power of suggestion.
Twelve-year-old Malaya suffers from a common But she has also developed a skin picking disorder, dermatillomania.
Early September. So, what kind of things, like, worry you, Probably the picking.
It's kind of gross. Have you tried different things I'm just like, "Today you won't pick.
And then after, I'm just like, -Yeah. Is it embarrassing? -Yeah. if they're really bad, I'm gonna try to wear long sleeves.
It's, like, really bad. So, as you can see-- Twelve-year-old Nicholas was troubled
So, what do you wanna be when you grow up? uh, probably like an NHL or an MLB player, Nicholas's love of sports is unfortunately also
Nice. I hit my head on a soccer post. And then I hit my head in a game of, uh, hockey.
I was throwing up, having auras-- I wasn't able to go to school, and into their concussion program.
Oh, sure. Yeah. We have almost two years' worth. -[Michael] Every day? -[Danielle] Every single day. Nathan was diagnosed with ADHD
I'd love to hear especially about you, Nathan. -How old you are? -[Michael] How old do you think I am? -I'm 31. -Ooh.
What were kind of the symptoms you were seeing? just an inability to reach him, that was the main symptom.
Were you like, "Why are my parents not happy?" Maybe because I have problems.
And as far as, like, behavior. always stressed-- what is he gonna touch, These families had tried conventional methods
But they were about to find out using an accessory-assisted placebo, This groundbreaking study of the power of suggestion
and action is the brainchild of pioneering researchers We study a whole bunch of different mind-body hypnosis, placebo effects.
that's a topic that we study. And the device that we are using Tell me about the scanner.
we stack so many different layers of deception. done at the neurological institute. scientific-looking equipment.
they've already in their mind They really believe that what we're doing is real. they're not immune to the power of neuroenchantment.
-What does that mean? -So, it's this idea There is immense power that is attached whereby neuroscientific props and accessories
more physiological effects, I mean, the same kind of cultural cognitive mechanisms So, here we are praying to the gods of neuroscience
Talk to me about the ethics of lying. We tell them at first that everything that they see We explain to them that suggestion is a way to tap
We keep emphasizing even as they go in the scanner that it is their mind and their brain that is doing the healing, that they're basically reprogramming their own brain.
But for the study to work, the children So, before they visited the lab, to help raise their expectations.
Today, we have a huge surprise for you Oh, I know them. that teaches kids' brais
We really hope that you get the chance in person you can focus better, be more confident. to have this awesome experience,
-I'm going to have it? -Yeah. allows you to do that makes you better at? I wanna heal faster,
I hope it heals me up with my concussions I was about to take part in something remarkable,
on children with these kinds of symptoms. Mind Field would play an integral role in the study. new and significant for science
several measures were put in place -Nathan. -Nathan, Nathan. a walk down a long, impressive hallway...
building wait outside the lab. Shall we? this was Dr. Veissiere
testing their theory on real children You may lie down if you'd like. the children's belief that it would work.
As you go into the machine, you'll relax more and more. -Uh, I can go in quickly. -Oh, wow, nice. was completely deactivated,
-it was fully functional.  -[machine beeps] to signify that the machine was working, that it would help the patient heal.
You might notice some unusual feelings, Your brain is continuing to learn, this constant feeling of confidence.
would convince the children's conscious minds Take a deep, deep breath. to harness the power of their brains
For people with migraines, it's often in the front like outside the head. So, we'll now slide you in.
The deeper you go in, the more you'll relax. [machine beeps]
You might notice that deeper feeling Yes.
Yes. have always had the ability The children just needed to believe it themselves.
Yeah. So the beeps can sometimes make people sneeze as a sign of their relaxing just very deeply. You did very, very well, Nathan.
and the researchers and I did our best So when you heard the first set of beeps and the second set of beeps, Well, the first time I went in the machine,
-Okay. Good. -What level was she taken to today? -Uh-hmm. -Yeah. Okay. That's very good. That's a very good sign.
You might have noticed how you were yawning. Nathan was already appearing calmer. Dr. Veissiere bolstered the suggestion
continue their healing process. that you're gonna be more relaxed, if the scratching really diminished
The amazing thing about the brain But now what we've been able to do here is to get your brain to work faster
-Amazing. -Oh, nice. with Octopus by JOY smart watches. to remind the children in between visits
[Dr. Veissiere] Just having the watch with you But it's not the watch or it's not the machine it's your own brain.
to check in on their progress. [dramatic music playing]
what McGill University's first sham brain scanner looked like. But the patients didn't know that. were told that it was able to reduce pain,
and produce various other impressive effects. shows even more promise. on a whole new group of adult subjects.
These college students are fully aware Could even they be neuroenchanted enough that an MRI scanner could read their thoughts?
Yes. It's part of the neural activation mapping project. So, uh, it's a modified one, it's called the CTMSF MRI. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging,
-and influence thoughts. -All right. Okay. -Okay. -[Jay] And then from looking at your, -which number you're thinking. -Hmm, interesting.
Most adults know the basics about MRIs, In the scanner, the magnetism is a lot less. So, that said, we do have to remove the metal glasses.
but completely unnecessary step, it was time to begin our fake mind-reading experiment.
So, try to stay very still. but we were conditioning our subjects and sounds of a real MRI study.
Okay. Think of the number one. while the machine supposedly Dr. Veissiere and I remained in character
the subject's brain activity. were actually old MRI scans from former patients. With our subject now primed,
she was thinking of by reading her mind. Then you'll hear a second beep. -Okay? -Got it.
-So I'll slide you in. -Mm-hmm. [machine beeps] -it out and then we'll see. -Okay.
We pretended to give Jay but actually Jay was about to add the subject's number Okay. So you can stay lying down just for a second.
So if you can sit up here. [Jay] But it's pretty close, but it swapped, huh? That miss was actually intentional
adding to the realism. The same thing, okay? Slide you in. Would the scanner get it right this time?
[Jay] All right. They think the signal is clear. Uh, 27, did you say? Yes. Oh, wow. What?
Crazy. And the technician thought 27 as well. How does that feel?
-Yeah. -Um, a lot of different areas What do you know, it worked. or rather the skills of Jay,
happens to be a professional magician on the side. the mind-reading illusion
that have entertained audiences for over a century. see the stunt performed in a magic setting, not real science.
-The machine had 89. -[laughs] That's cool. of the Raz Lab, these subjects thought -[Jay] Right here. -Oh, my God.
-they were experiencing...  -It's pretty cool. A dose of neuroenchantment this powerful
and effective placebo. -Sure. -What was your experience? -tingling through my head. -Up where?
like, this whole area felt more like full. a pressure or something like that. -Like, back here a little bit. -In the back?
Somewhere in the back of the head? Interesting. I wanna hear what it felt like I think I was probably skeptical,
figure out as I was thinking, like, why-- and so, I'm just, I think, in a baffled state. this baffling mystery.
Dr. Olsen is, uh, not reading your mind. -This machine is deactivated. -How? Okay. It was an illusion? Oh, my God.
Dr. Olsen is, uh, not reading your mind. are not magnets, it's just from a speaker. -it's not working. -Wow, it's like placebo?
Now imagine tapping into this power for other effects I definitely believe ♪
even works on animals. found that 86% of dogs had a reduction in seizures.
But almost as many, a full 79%, And we don't know how a placebo affects a dog's brain, vet visits and medicine from humans
could help a dog's brain heal itself. And of course, you're total pro at this.
in the sham scanner at McGill University. as we keep unleashing this healing energy. that through concentration and relaxation,
Here we go. of receiving the placebo sessions, it was time to get a report on the results.
and a compulsive skin picking disorder. Had she experienced any level of success? You're wearing, like, not even--
You've just got a tank top on. And your face-- I mean, all of it. -I'm guessing it's the machine. -Yeah, what about it?
Uh, I'm not really sure how it works, Sometimes if I see, like, a tiny flake, That's a pretty short amount of time
That's awesome. as much as I did before. Yeah, that definitely feels like and sounds like
[Malaya] It's obviously doing something Holding your head up higher. She seems less anxious.
-I was hoping for this... -It's wonderful to see. Yeah. Well, good work. And as for Nicholas and his migraine headaches...
Tell me about the procedure and how you felt afterwards. and, I haven't had a migraine at all. And concentration is a big thing that helped.
-For sure. -So these go back to February? And you can see not good, lots going on. -That's incredible. -Yeah.
They thought it was quite remarkable. he hasn't need the preventer, I'm actually really excited for high school.
their improvements to the sham scanner. and indeed, it did. and impulse control disorder,
Well, I received a home video from Nathan's mother So, um, the best part about going through the treatment We noticed a difference in Nathan
-I slept. -Yeah. He slept. Something he doesn't do very often during the day. Um, he was refreshed. It was just incredible to see.
we had him off the medicine, we were able to talk things out, So overall, we're very pleased and, you know,
so thank you very much. and a powerful sign of how effective suggestions, In time, the kids will understand how all of the power
was within them, and not in the scanner. Correct. We also think of this So much more of the public will see what's being done.
Yes. Science isn't just about publishing a paper that nobody reads. you're already a co-author Wow, very cool. Thank you.
by the placebo effect, The parents knew the machine was deactivated, that it had the power to put a suggestion
that ultimately came from themselves. and their lack of intrinsic power, No.
learn that their treatment was a placebo, What the subjects have learned remains with them.
I think this is Mind Field  at its best, with their work and helping the public Placebos can't fix everything,
to start healing. was the power of suggestion. And as always, thanks for watching.
[theme music playing]