So, I don't exactly have the results of a bold experiment in human intelligence, but

I do have a clip from the TV show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

It's from the episode where one of the main characters, Charlie, joined an experiment where

he takes a pill, he's told will make him smarter.

If you've ever watched the show, you'll recall that Charlie isn't that sharp, but after

taking the pill, Charlie starts speaking with a British accent and comes up with his

own experiments and inventions.

We have the means, the understanding, the technology to allow spiders to talk with cats.

Spoiler alert, it didn't actually work out.

Alas, a complete failure.

Self-confidence instilled by a placebo intelligence pill did not, in fact, make the test subject

smarter.

A placebo intelligence pill, so in this experiment, the researchers gave a fake pill to Charlie

that had no way to physiologically make him smarter.

And yet, you've probably heard about the placebo effect.

The basic idea is this, someone who has a medical problem is given a pill they're told

may help them.

But the pill doesn't actually contain anything that would treat that problem, it could just

be sugar.

And strangely, that person gets better anyway, or at least thinks they get better.

But here's the twist, people who take an active drug can also experience the placebo effect.

From the Freakonomics Radio Network, this is Freakonomics MD.

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