A recent publication by InSPHIRe lab members Dr. Geers, Kelly Clemens, and Emily Jason has been generating a lot of media attention. The study described in the paper entitled Psychosocial Factors Predict COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects (Geers et al., in press) found that COVID-19 vaccine side effect expectations (e.g., pain at the injection site, fever, chills, headache, joint pain) predicted side effects in participants three months later. These findings demonstrate the well-documented nocebo effect (i.e., the opposite of the placebo effect), in which negative expectations of treatment result in more negative treatment-related outcomes. Congratulations on the publication! Check out some of the various media coverage below:
U.S. News and World Reports:
https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-11-08/your-expectations-could-shape-your-odds-for-vaccine-side-effects
NBC 24:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_8sfs2eFPE
University of Toledo News:
https://news.utoledo.edu/index.php/11_05_2021/expectation-shapes-reality-psychological-factors-predict-covid-vaccine-side-effects
WTOL News:
InSPHIRe Lab 