Can a sugar pill make you happier? scientists study expectation effects on emotions
NCT ID NCT07615530
First seen May 29, 2026 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study looks at how positive expectations—like thinking you received a helpful treatment—can change how your brain processes emotions. Healthy adults will receive a saline nasal spray labeled as either oxytocin or saline on different days. Researchers will measure mood, brain activity (EEG), and eye movements while participants view emotional faces. The goal is to understand the basic mechanisms behind placebo effects in emotions, which could inform future treatments for depression and anxiety.
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Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.
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Contacts and locations
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Study contacts
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
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Contact
Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
Locations
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University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Institute of Systems Neuroscience
Hamburg, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, 20251, Germany
Contact
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Contact
Contact Phone: •••-•••-•••• Email: •••••@•••••
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
What this could lead to
If successful, this could help develop new psychological therapies for mood disorders by understanding how expectations shape emotions.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage study in healthy volunteers, not patients. It tests basic mechanisms, not a treatment, so real-world applications are uncertain.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.