I’m reading ‘Lost Connection’ by Johann Hari again. It tells a powerful story about the impact of pharmaceutical company profiteering on how depression is treated.

Regardless of whether or not he’s right about that, there’s a clear acknowledgment of the placebo effect in the medical profession. Placebos work because of the stories (which may be implicit) we absorb about them.

For good or bad, humans are drawn to stories. The clearer we are about this and the greater positive control we exercise over our own story, the better.

What you tell yourself matters.

.

(Photo by Laurynas Mereckas on Unsplash)