Helen Pilcher - This Book May Cause Side Effects: The Nocebo Effect and the MindBody Trap

About

What if fear, suggestion and cultural narratives can make us genuinely sick? And what if understanding this hidden mechanism could make us healthier?

In this eye-opening talk, neuroscientist and acclaimed science writer Helen Pilcher uncovers the extraordinary world of the nocebo effect - the placebos evil twin - and reveals how powerful the mind can be in shaping pain, illness and ageing. Drawing on amazing and sometimes jaw-dropping case studies, she explores why people without allergies develop real dietary intolerances; how children and adults alike can catch tics and symptoms through social media; why chronic pain can spread socially; and what lies behind modern medical mysteries from Havana Syndrome to mass psychogenic events and so-called hex deaths.

Pilcher shows how psychology, neuroscience and culture intertwine to produce very real sufferingand crucially, how we can use this knowledge to become less ill and more well, changing the stories our brains tell our bodies. Combining cutting-edge science with gripping storytelling, This Book May Cause Side Effects pushes us to rethink everything we assume about illness, belief and the power of expectation.

Early readers have praised Pilchers writing as brilliant, funny and deeply illuminating, and her previous book Life Changing was named a Science Book of the Year by The Times and shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writingrecognition that cements her reputation as one of the UKs most engaging and trustworthy science communicators.

Expect a talk that challenges your assumptions, unsettles your certainties and leaves you seeing the mindbody connection in an entirely new light.

Helen Pilcher is a neuroscientist-turned-science writer with a PhD in cell biology. A former stem-cell researcher, she now writes widely for publications including BBC Wildlife, BBC Science Focus, New Scientist and The Guardian. She is known for blending rigorous science with humour and clarity, making complex ideas accessible to general audiences.

Her books range from genetics and evolutionary biology to the science of de-extinction and the hidden microbial world that shapes our lives. Life Changing earned major critical acclaim, being selected as a Science Book of the Year by The Times and shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize, confirming her as one of Britains most compelling explainers of modern science.

With This Book May Cause Side Effects, Pilcher delivers her most provocative work yeta radical, humane and revelatory exploration of why we get sick and how our expectations can shape our biology.

A Q&A Session will follow.