Goines On: Procrastination

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An abundantly talented writer friend of Goines had shared several impressive story beginnings with him, but so far the man had given up on the stories before they could develop and come to their own conclusion. He confessed to being a procrastinator – if “confessed” was the right word, for he seemed almost proud of it – and seemed unable to buckle down and finish a story.
    Was his friend taking nocebos rather than placebos? To Goines, the metaphor was clear. Patients on a medication whose beneficial properties are emphasized often experience those benefits, even when fake pills (“placebos”) are substituted for actual medications, and patients on a medication whose potential negative side effects are emphasized often experience those negatives even when fake pills (“nocebos”) are substituted. Medical researchers had verified both placebo and nocebo effects through controlled experiments, and attributed them to the power of people’s beliefs and emotions to produce outcomes.