Believing in fake steroids can make you stronger — but only if you don’t know it’s fake
Expectancy effects and strength training: do steroids make a difference?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some strong lifters were told they were taking powerful steroids, but they were actually given fake sugar pills. They got stronger because they believed in the drug. When scientists told half of them it was fake, their strength gains went away.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
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Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some strong lifters were told they were taking powerful steroids, but they were actually given fake sugar pills. They got stronger because they believed in the drug. When scientists told half of them it was fake, their strength gains went away.
No biological mechanisms were identified in this study. This may be an epidemiological, observational, or survey-based study that reports associations rather than proposing causal biological pathways.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 520 / 44
Evidence Score
A snapshot of a population at a single point in time. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine the direction of cause and effect.
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Claims (3)
If powerlifters think they're taking steroids—even when they're just getting a fake pill—they might still get stronger, just because their mind expects it to work.
If powerlifters think they’re taking steroids but are actually told it’s just a placebo, their performance boost goes away — meaning the mind plays a big role in the gains they thought came from drugs.
Just believing you're getting a performance boost — even if you're not taking any real drugs — can actually help competitive powerlifters get stronger, showing that mindset really matters in top-level sports.