Skip Content
You are currently on the new version of our website. Access the old version .
  • This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
  • Article
  • Open Access

29 January 2026

Acceptance of Open-Label Placebos Is Linked to Holistic Health Beliefs and Thinking Styles

,
and
Clinical Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Abstract

Open-label placebos (OLPs) have demonstrated benefits across multiple conditions; however, the factors influencing their acceptance or rejection remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the relationship between willingness to take an OLP pill and variables such as thinking styles and health beliefs. We conducted an online survey in Austria with 326 participants (mean age = 33.5 years; 77% female; 57% university students). Given the divergent attitudes toward OLPs, we performed a binary logistic regression analysis (n = 241), excluding participants with intermediate acceptance scores to more clearly distinguish between acceptance and rejection. The results indicated that holistic thinking styles and holistic health beliefs were associated with the willingness to take an OLP. Due to the correlational nature of the study, causal inference is not possible.

Article Metrics

Citations

Article Access Statistics

Multiple requests from the same IP address are counted as one view.