Placebos work

That button you press to close the door on an elevator doesn’t actually work.

It’s fake.

So are the buttons on cross walks and office thermostats.

They’re all placebos.

That’s okay because it makes us feel better to exercise control in a world that is seemingly out-of-control.

The question is: Is it ethical?

I think so.

Most people don’t get upset when a magician reveals his secrets. Maybe a little let down because we want to believe that magic is real.

(It’s manipulation when your customers become angry.)

But if a placebos makes you feel better, gives you more confidence and helps you perform then why not use it?

It’s story telling.

So if we want people to change—the kind of change you are seeking to make in the world—you need a better story.

Because the story controls how we feel about things.

Logic and math and science isn’t enough to change people’s minds.

[The better the package, the better the taste. (And vise-versa.) So what would happen if we called the Affordable Care Act, the Expensive Care Act? What would change if we called Global Warming, Atmosphere Cancer? Would things be different?]