Shadowing Practice: The power of the placebo effect - Emma Bryce - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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In 1996, 56 volunteers took part in a study to test a new painkiller called Trivaricaine.
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In 1996, 56 volunteers took part in a study to test a new painkiller called Trivaricaine.
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On each subject, one index finger was covered in the new painkiller while the other remained untouched.
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Then, both were squeezed in painful clamps.
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The subjects reported that the treated finger hurt less than the untreated one.
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This shouldn't be surprising, except Trivaricaine wasn't actually a painkiller, just a fake concotion with no pain-easing properties at all.
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What made the students so sure this dummy drug had worked?
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The answer lies in the placebo effect, an unexplained phenomenon wherein drugs, treatments, and therapies that aren't supposed to have an effect, and are often fake, miraculously make people feel better.
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Doctors have used the term placebo since the 1700s when they realized the power of fake drugs to improve people's symptoms.
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These were administered when proper drugs weren't available, or if someone imagined they were ill.
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In fact, the word placebo means "I shall please" in Latin, hinting at a history of placating troubled patients.
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Placebos had to mimic the real treatments in order to be convincing, so they took the form of sugar pills, water-filled injections, and even sham surgeries.
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Soon, doctors realized that duping people in this way had another use: in clinical trials.
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By the 1950s, researchers were using placebos as a standard tool to test new treatments.
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To evaluate a new drug, for instance, half the patients in a trial might receive the real pill.
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The other half would get a placebo that looked the same.
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Since patients wouldn't know whether they'd received the real thing or a dud, the results wouldn't be biased, researchers believed.
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Then, if the new drug showed a significant benefit compared to the placebo, it was proved effective.
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Nowadays, it's less common to use placebos this way because of ethical concerns.
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If it's possible to compare a new drug against an older version, or another existing drug, that's preferable to simply giving someone no treatment at all, especially if they have a serious ailment.
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In these cases, placebos are often used as a control to fine-tune the trial so that the effects of the new versus the old or alternative drug can be precisely compared.
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But of course, we know the placebos exert their own influence, too.
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Thanks to the placebo effect, patients have experienced relief from a range of ailments, including heart problems, asthma, and severe pain, even though all they'd received was a fake drug or sham surgery.
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We're still trying to understand how.
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Some believe that instead of being real, the placebo effect is merely confused with other factors, like patients trying to please doctors by falsely reporting improvements.
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On the other hand, researchers think that if a person believes a fake treatment is real, their expectations of recovery actually do trigger physiological factors that improve their symptoms.
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Placebos seem to be capable of causing measurable change in blood pressure, heart rate, and the release of pain-reducing chemicals, like endorphins.
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That explains why subjects in pain studies often say placebos ease their discomfort.
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Placebos may even reduce levels of stress hormones, like adrenaline, which can slow the harmful effects of an ailment.
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So shouldn't we celebrate the placebo's bizarre benefits?
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Not necessarily.
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If somebody believes a fake treatment has cured them, they may miss out on drugs or therapies that are proven to work.
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Plus, the positive effects may fade over time, and often do.
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Placebos also cloud clinical results, making scientists even more motivated to discover how they wield such power over us.
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Despite everything we know about the human body, there are still some strange and enduring mysteries, like the placebo effect.
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So what other undiscovered marvels might we contain?
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It's easy to investigate the world around us and forget that one of its most fascinating subjects lies right behind our eyes.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the video "The Power of the Placebo Effect" by Emma Bryce provides an excellent opportunity for English learners to improve their speaking skills. The fascinating subject matter encourages thoughtful discussion, allowing you to practice expressing complex ideas clearly and confidently. By shadowing her speech, you can enhance your fluency and intonation, making your English sound more natural and fluid. Additionally, understanding the placebo effect enriches your vocabulary and comprehension, which are crucial for effective communication. Using a shadowspeaks technique will enable you to replicate the speaker's voice patterns and enhance your overall English speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Here are several key structures used by Emma Bryce that you can incorporate into your speaking practice:

  • Passive voice: “Placebos are often used as a control.” This construction is common in scientific contexts and is a great way to emphasize the action rather than the subject.
  • Present perfect tense: “This shouldn’t be surprising…” This tense allows the speaker to connect past knowledge with the present, which is a valuable skill in conversation.
  • Conditionals: “If it’s possible to compare…” Learning how to use conditionals can help you make suggestions and discuss hypothetical scenarios effectively.
  • Comparative structures: “It’s less common to use placebos this way because of ethical concerns.” This structure is useful for comparing different ideas and can elevate your discussions.

Practicing these grammatical structures in context will greatly enhance your ability to communicate complex thoughts in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While listening to the video, pay attention to these tricky words and phrases that can pose challenges for English learners:

  • Placebo - The pronunciation can be tricky; it’s pronounced as /pləˈsiː.boʊ/. Focus on the second syllable to get it right.
  • Concotion - Pronounced /kənˈkoʊ.ʃən/, watch out for the subtle sounds, especially the “tion” ending.
  • Physiological - This word is often mispronounced; it’s /ˌfɪz.i.əˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/. Breaking it down into parts can help with mastering it.

By utilizing a shadowing app and repeatedly practicing these challenging words, you can significantly improve English pronunciation. Shadow speech offers a practical method to ensure you are mimicking not just the words, but also the natural rhythm and intonation of native speakers.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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