Australian experts from the University of Sydney have announced a way to reduce withdrawal symptoms in people addicted to caffeine. The results of the study are presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

The experiment involved 61 people who consume coffee in large quantities (three or more cups per day). The subjects measured the severity of the withdrawal syndrome after abstinence from caffeine for 24 hours. Then they were divided into three groups. Two groups were given decaffeinated coffee, with one group told the truth (that they drink decaffeinated coffee) and the other lied (making them think it was regular coffee). The third group, the control group, was given water. After 40 minutes, all participants were asked to rate their symptoms again.

Related materials:Nothing to breathe. How oxygen affects the aggressiveness of cancerous tumors

It turned out that the lied group experienced a significant reduction in caffeine withdrawal, although there was no pharmacological reason for this. These volunteers had reduced headaches, fatigue, bad mood and irritability. The authors believe that a similar result was achieved with the help of the placebo effect - the suffering of the participants decreased because they expected it.

Interestingly, withdrawal symptoms were reduced even when people knew they were getting decaffeinated coffee. Not as much as the group that was lied to, but with significant effect.

The researchers believe that the open placebo effect was due to the strong conditioned withdrawal reduction effect accumulated over a lifetime of coffee consumption. However, they also note that the impact was most likely short-lived—withdrawal will not decrease without caffeine indefinitely, although a cup of decaffeinated coffee can help those who are trying to cut back on caffeine to get through the toughest days.