The placebo effect

is real. More proof: Grape expectations, What wine can tell us about the nature of reality.

The subjects consistently reported that the more expensive wines tasted better, even when they were actually identical to cheaper wines.

The findings have been surprising - did you know that generic drugs can be less effective merely because they cost less?

Even though the cream had no analgesic properties - it was just a hand moisturizer - people given the pretend cream said the shocks were significantly less painful.

In other words,

Their predictions became self-fulfilling prophecies.