Here’s the latest surprising news in the annals of the placebo effect. The fact that placebos–pills or other treatments with no active ingredients–have tremendous effects in reducing all sorts of pain has become increasingly well documented in recent years. The power of expectation and belief on reducing pain and other subjective symptoms is enormous–and not as mysterious as it sounds at first glance, if you think about it. It may account for nearly all of the effects of antidepressants, some researchers believe.