Placebo effect in sports: conceptual aspects and methodological considerations

Abstract

Competitive sporting events have always tested the physiological and psychological limits of the human body, and any enhancement, regardless of its magnitude, attracts the interest of sport scientists, coaches, and athletes in an attempt to optimize sports outcomes. In this context, various ergogenic aids are used under claims of performance enhancement, despite empirical or scientific evidence supporting their applicability being mostly non-existent or inconclusive. The placebo effect can be understood as a positive modification following the administration of an inert treatment, and growing evidence in sport sciences has demonstrated the consistent presence of this phenomenon in sports performance. This viewpoint addresses conceptual aspects of the placebo effect in sport, discusses the placebo condition in experimental designs, and presents methodological considerations for the improvement of research on the topic.