While placebo effects are well-known, research in the last decade revealed intriguing effects that placebos may have beneficial effects even when given without deception. At first glance, this seems paradoxical, but several studies have reported improvements in pain, depression, or anxiety. However, it still remains unclear whether these results represent objective biological effects or simply a bias in response and what neural underpinnings are associated with the open-label placebo effects. In two studies, we address this gap by demonstrating that open-label placebos reduce self-reported emotional distress when viewing highly arousing negative pictures. This reduced emotional distress was associated with an activation of brain areas known to modulate affective states such as the periaqueductal gray, the bilateral anterior hippocampi, and the anterior cingulate cortex. We did not find any prefrontal brain activation. Furthermore, brain activation was not associated with expectation of effects. In contrast, we found that brain responses were linked to general belief in placebos. The results demonstrate that the neural mechanisms of open-label placebo effects are partly identical to the neurobiological underpinnings of conventional placebos, but our study also highlights important differences with respect to a missing engagement of prefrontal brain regions, suggesting that expectation of effects may play a less prominent role in open-label placebos.

Taste may be the first sense that emerged in evolution. Taste is also a very important sense since it signals potential beneficial or dangerous effects of foods. Given this fundamental role of taste in our lives, it is not surprising that taste also affects our psychological perception and thinking. For example, previous research demonstrated remarkable psychological effects of sweet taste experiences, suggesting that sweetness may be a source domain for prosocial functioning. Recent research reports that briefly experiencing sweet taste made participants more helpful in their intentions and behavior. The current study aims to test this hypothesis and to examine the neural underpinnings of this effect by using an fMRI approach. Participants were asked to taste sweet, salty, and neutral taste while lying in the fMRI scanner. Subsequently their prosocial behavior was tested by playing the dictator game, a measure of prosocial behavior. Results showed that sweet taste was associated with an increase in prosocial behavior compared with previously experiencing salty taste but did not affect control stimuli ratings. FMRI results revealed a modulation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex associated with this sweetness effect. This brain area is known to play a central role for monitoring conflicts and decisions and has been directly linked to selfish and prosocial economic decisions. The results demonstrate that sweet taste has complex psychological effects including positive and socially desirable outcomes. We discuss the results with other studies on psychological sweetness effects and suggest possible implications of these findings.

In einem Lehrprojekt von Professorin Dr. Kerstin Pohl an der Universität in Mainz haben sich Studierende in Kontroversen in der Fachdidaktik eingearbeitet. Sie haben Politikdidaktiker(innen) mit unterschiedlichen Positionen um Interviews gebetendie im Juni 2018 in Mainz durchgeführt wurden. Aus den Interviews wurden Podcasts erstellt, die auf der website der Universität und auch der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (ab Januar 2019) eingestellt worden sind (https://fachdidaktik.politik.uni-mainz.de/lehrprojekt-kontroversen-in-der-politikdidaktik). Die Leitfrage für das Interview mit Prof.’ Dr. Sibylle Reinhardt lautete: Soll Politik den Kern der politischen Bildung darstellen, oder brauchen wir eine integrative sozialwissenschaftliche Bildung? Dieses Interview drucken wir hier in leicht redigierter Fassung ab. Sibylle Reinhardt wurde von Felix Schweitzer, Michele Gillmann, Kevin Klee und Lisa Mandau interviewt.

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