Negative expectations disrupted movement performance in some experiments
A scoping review found varied ways to induce nocebo responses, with impaired performance reported in only half of the included studies.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Experiments that tried to induce negative expectations sometimes impaired motor performance, including force, endurance, balance or movement speed. Such effects were reported in half of the studies, so they were not a uniform finding. This review maps how nocebo responses were studied; it does not provide a single estimate of their size.
The abstract does not describe individual comparator conditions, effect sizes or participant characteristics. Varied induction and measurement methods make it difficult to judge which situations produced the most reliable effects.
How expectations were induced
Verbal instructions were the most common way researchers tried to induce a nocebo response, sometimes alongside conditioning or visual cues. These were deliberately constructed experimental procedures, so the findings need to be understood within those settings.
What movement meant here
Studies mainly examined larger movements such as sprinting and cycling, often measuring strength or endurance. Fine motor control and movement quality received less attention, leaving the review less informative about those aspects of performance.
The original publication
Negative expectations and measurable movement mechanics: a scoping review of the nocebo effect on motor performance.
Burgos-Tirado J, Léonard G, Hakimi A et al.
Front Hum Neurosci · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41070189
- Record checked
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