Trial reportScientific reports2026
Open-label placebos reduce hair cortisol concentrations and psychological distress - a randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Dispositional optimism and open-label placebo responses in hair cortisol concentrations and psychological distress-A randomized controlled trial.Applied psychology. Health and well-being · 2026Trial
- Open-label placebo effects on psychological distress and hair cortisol in a randomized controlled trial - the moderating role of the five-factor personality traits.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Effects of Olive Leaf Extract on Anxiety Symptoms and Metainflammation in Women with Excess Weight: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Trial.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The exposure to stressful events, such as demanding university exams, is associated with psychological distress and elevated physiological stress responses, which may impair performance. Recent research suggests that open-label placebo (OLP) treatments can effectively reduce psychological distress. However, evidence regarding OLP effects on biomarkers remains limited, highlighting the need for systematic investigation. This study presents the first longitudinal randomized controlled trial examining a four-week OLP intervention on hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and psychological distress, using oral university exams as real-life stressors. 134 healthy university students were randomized to an OLP group receiving placebo pills or a control group without treatment. Psychological distress was assessed via a latent factor derived from area under the curve (AUCi) values of negative affect, test anxiety, subjective stress, and exam-related stress, continuously measured during the intervention. Analyses revealed decreasing HCC in the OLP group, demonstrating for the first time a long-term physiological effect of OLPs comparable to other stress-management interventions. Results further indicate reduced psychological distress in the OLP group. Pre-exam negative affect mediated subsequent improvements in exam grades observed in the OLP group, compared to the controls. These findings provide first evidence that OLPs may attenuate physiological and psychological impacts of prolonged stress exposure.Trial registration: This study was registered at the German clinical trials register (DRKS00031423).
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.