Can alarmist messages exacerbate a nocebo response?

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This was a human provocation study that investigated if messages emphasizing adverse health effects of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic field (EMF) can exacerbate a nocebo response. Of the participants, 22 watched an alarmist video and 22 a control video before receiving both sham and real RF-EMF exposure. The participants that watched the alarmist video when they were exposed to RF-EMF, reported a statistically significant increase in subjective symptoms, anxiety state and risk perception. There was no significant difference between the sham exposure and real RF exposure for symptoms or belief of exposure reported by participants. The authors concluded these results suggest that it is belief of exposure, not the RF-EMF exposure itself, which was sufficient to trigger symptoms in healthy participants.

Can explicit suggestions about the harmfulness of EMF exposure exacerbate a nocebo response in healthy controls?

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Negative symptoms attributed to RF exposure can have serious effects on the wellbeing of individuals. However, current scientific evidence suggests that RF exposure is not the cause of electromagnetic hypersensitivity symptoms. The evidence from double-blind provocation studies have previously shown that belief of exposure is sufficient to induce symptoms via a nocebo effect (SCENIHR, 2013).