Pain reports
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The field of Internet-based treatments is expanding. However, little is known about placebo effects in online therapeutic settings. The aim of this study was to test if placebo analgesia could be induced via online communication. Exploratory analyses tested if different communication styles (empathetic/neutral) would influence the placebo effect. ⋯ The results in this study suggest that placebo effects can be created even when information about an analgesic treatment is delivered online. This is the first indication of a novel research line that investigates placebo effects in online treatment.