The Miracle Pill: A Story of Faith and Deception | by kuang | Aug, 2023

Do you believe that your beliefs can affect you physically and mentally? Do you believe that your beliefs will enable you to overcome difficulties and challenges? Do you believe that your beliefs will allow you to achieve your dreams and goals? This story will make you think: How powerful is faith? How much does deception cost? How valuable is life?

Li Ming is a senior in high school who wanted to be admitted to Tsinghua University, but he had a brain tumor. He went to many doctors and said that he could not cure him and could only take painkillers. He and his parents were desperate.

They eventually met Dr. Zhang, who said he had a miracle drug that could make brain tumors go away. He gave Li Ming a small white pill, called a placebo. He said the drug was developed by himself and has not been made public. He said that as long as Li Ming took one pill a day, he could fully recover and take the college entrance examination. But he also told Li Ming that he couldn’t tell anyone the secret, nor could he let anyone see the pill bottle or pill.

Li Ming believed Dr. Zhang’s words and began taking a placebo. After a month, he felt much better, and symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and insomnia were gone. His mental and physical strength has also recovered a lot. His grades have also improved significantly, and he is full of confidence and expectation for the college entrance examination.

Just the day before the college entrance examination, Dr. Zhang called Li Ming and said that he had something important to tell him. Li Ming and his parents went to see Dr. Zhang. Dr. Zhang said: “Actually, the placebo I gave you is not a real drug, it is just some small pills made of ordinary starch, and it has no therapeutic effect. You are able to recover not because of the placebo effect, but because of your own beliefs. You believe that a placebo can cure your brain tumor, so you develop a positive mindset and will, which stimulates your own immune system and self-healing ability. ”

Li Ming and his parents listened to Dr. Zhang’s words and were shocked and angry. They felt that Dr. Zhang had deceived them and played with their feelings. They questioned Dr. Zhang why he did this.

Dr Zhang said, “I’m doing this for your own good. If I tell you the truth, you may lose faith and courage. If I give you real medicine or surgery, you may suffer more pain and risk. I gave you a placebo because I believe you have the power to heal yourself. I just gave you a psychological support and stimulation and did not hurt you or take advantage of you. ”

Li Ming and his parents listened to Dr. Zhang’s words and felt very complicated and confused. They don’t know who to believe and what to do.

The next day, Li Ming took the college entrance examination. He played his level and answered all the questions. A month later, the college entrance examination results came out. Li Ming actually scored a full score in the test and ranked first in the country.

At this time, Li Ming received an email. The email is from Dr. Zhang. The email reads:

“Dear Li Ming,

Congratulations on being admitted to Tsinghua University, you are such an amazing person. I am very proud and happy for you.

I’m writing this email to tell you a fact, a fact you probably don’t want to believe.

Did you know that your brain tumor isn’t gone, it’s still in your head. The placebo I gave you just made you forget it existed for a while, giving you the illusion that you had recovered. But this is just a psychological comfort, a self-deception. Your brain tumor can erupt at any time, endangering your life.

Why am I doing this? Because I want to give you a chance, a chance to achieve your dreams. I know you want to get into Tsinghua University, and I know how important it is to you. I also know that if I tell you the truth, you might give up everything and even choose to die. So, I decided to give you a false impression that you can recover and take the college entrance examination. I hope you can use this illusion to motivate yourself and use this illusion to realize your dreams.

I know it’s unethical and illegal. But, believe me, I have no malice and no benefit. I just want to help you and make you have a good life. I didn’t hurt you or take advantage of you either. The placebo I gave you didn’t have any side effects and didn’t charge anything. I just gave you a psychological support and stimulation.

Now, you have been admitted to Tsinghua University, and you have achieved your dream. However, remember that this is just an illusion, an illusion that cannot last. If you want to continue to live, if you want to continue to pursue higher goals, if you want to continue to enjoy the beauty of life, then please let go of this illusion and face reality.

Please go to a doctor who can really treat brain tumors, please accept real effective treatments, please fight brain tumors bravely, please do not give up your life.

Please forgive my lies, please understand my intentions, please cherish your life.

I wish you all the best,

Dr. Zhang”

Li Ming finished reading the email and felt unable to breathe. He couldn’t believe his eyes, he couldn’t believe his ears. He felt like his whole world was collapsing.

He picked up his phone and dialed Dr. Zhang’s number. However, a cold voice came from the other end of the phone:

“Sorry, the user you called is turned off.”

Psychologists have discovered a wonderful phenomenon called The Placebo Effect. This phenomenon refers to the fact that when a person believes that something is good for him, even if that thing has no practical effect, he feels a positive change. For example, when a person eats a sugar pill that has no effect but feels that his pain has lessened, this is The Placebo Effect. So, what do you think? Would you like to embrace The Placebo Effect? Are you able to tell the difference between true and false and right from wrong? Are you able to bear the consequences and responsibility?

“Predictably Irrational” is a book that explores the hidden psychological forces behind our decisions, revealing that we often act in irrational ways against our rational interests. The book is based on the author’s research in the field of behavioral economics and uses many interesting and vivid experiments and examples to illustrate different aspects of irrational phenomena, including:

• Relativity: We tend to compare things rather than judge based on absolute values.
• Anchoring: Our judgments and expectations are influenced by arbitrary numbers or values.
• Zero cost: We have a particular appeal to free stuff, but there are also hidden costs.
• Norms: Our behavior is influenced by social norms and market norms, and mixed use has negative consequences.
• Expectations: Our expectations can shape our perceptions and experiences, or they can be manipulated by external cues.
• Procrastination: We tend to postpone or avoid doing what we know we should do because we don’t pay enough attention to future rewards.
• Ownership: We have an attachment to what we own or possess, causing us to overvalue, reluctant to give up or exchange, or pursue too much.
• Maintain choice: We want to maintain multiple options or opportunities, even if they are not favorable or feasible.
• Price: Price can affect our expectations, perceptions, emotions, and behaviors, and is also a complex signal, not a simple reflection of value.
• Distrust: Dishonesty and deception create a vicious cycle of mistrust in interpersonal interactions that lowers our moral standards and social welfare.
• Environment: Situational factors can influence our moral behavior, changing our preferences, judgments, actions, and reasons.
• Beer and sex: Beer and sex can change our mood, cognition, impulses, and risks, and are also influencing factors that are difficult for us to predict or consider.
• Excitement: Excitement can enhance our emotions, weaken our self-control, shift our priorities and increase our risk-taking, and is also an influencing factor that we underestimate or ignore.
• Drugs: Drugs can affect our expectations, perceptions, emotions, and behavior, and there are also some psychological mechanisms such as placebo effects, nocebo effects, or side effects. Drugs are not only chemicals, but also psychological symbols.

This book is both interesting and illuminating, allowing us to recognize the psychological motivations and logic behind our own and others’ actions, and offers ways and suggestions to avoid or take advantage of irrational phenomena and make better choices. If you are interested in this please follow the link and subscribe to it.

The Placebo Effect: This is a psychological phenomenon that refers to an improvement or relief of symptoms when a person receives an ineffective treatment or medication. This may be due to factors such as people’s expectations, beliefs, emotions, or conditioned reflexes that affect brain-body interactions.