Researchers at Elon University are conducting experiments to study whether the placebo effect and expectancy bias improve individuals’ brain functions after exercising.
The placebo effect explains when an individual experiences positive outcomes simply from the belief of that positive outcome rather than the effect of a treatment. Similarly, expectancy bias occurs when someone’s expectations influence the result of the therapy either positively or negatively.
After participating in research on kinesiology, neuroscience and exercise at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and Michigan State University, professor Madison Chandler came to Elon University in July 2023.
Since then, she has worked in the department of exercise science and studies the effects of exercise on the brain.
Chandler and Asia Green, a rising senior, are working over the summer to examine the role expectations play in exercise.
“If you are familiar with how exercise can improve your brain function, could we help you get even more benefits if you’re aware of what you know might happen?” Chandler said.
Together, they expect to test two groups of people with varying fitness levels, whether they exercise frequently or not, and include one group that is told how good exercise is for their brain and one that isn’t.
“So we’re going to just use treadmill walking, and we’ll be able to get people to self-select a brisk walking speed,” Chandler said. “Then what we do is we calculate the percent of their heart rate that would be keeping them in that moderate range.”
Chandler said she wants the pace and inclination of the walk to be just enough to raise participants’ heart rates rather than cause them to breathe vigorously.
“We want them to be breathing hard as if you’re late to class, like walking kind of briskly,” Chandler said.
During the study, Chandler uses a heart sensor which can be connected to an iPad, to see whether she needs to increase the speed or incline on the treadmill. Once the walk ends, Chandler tests the subjects’ cognition using software to determine their reaction time. Using this, she monitors whether subjects who previously knew about the positive effects of aerobic exercise did better than those who didn’t.
Green said in addition to helping Chandler during the experiments, she often just works to spread the word about the study, even taking advantage of her role as a senior resident adviser.
“It’s like, who is this crazy girl to have elevator conversations, to speak in my RA meetings, because I’m an SRA on campus?” Green said. “But speaking in those meetings down to the grocery store and even running into the gym and kind of letting people know what my study is about and even walking the sidewalks at times.”
Juliana Ronda
Juliana Ronda is a rising senior at Academia María Reina in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. An avid reader since childhood, she often devours books in a single sitting. She serves as vice president of the National Art Honor Society and is a member of the Joseph Lorraine chapter of the National Honor Society. Juliana actively supports her school’s religious retreats and has volunteered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Puerto Rico. She also works part-time at MerchExp Online Fulfillment and hopes to intern with Rimas Publishing this summer. In her free time, Juliana enjoys painting and spending time at the beach. She plans to pursue a career in publishing, while also exploring the field of journalism.
Emerson Morales
Emerson Morales was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but now lives in Nutley, New Jersey, about 30 minutes from New York City. She is currently a rising senior at Nutley High School, where she serves as the drum major of its award-winning marching band and helps run the school’s InStyle: Fashion Magazine. Outside school, she participates in New Jersey’s region and all-state choirs and volunteers at her local library. After watching “Gilmore Girls,” Emerson became interested in journalism and storytelling. In the future, she hopes to study media and communications while minoring in marketing.
Laila Smith
Laila Smith was born and raised in Maryland. She’s a rising senior at Archbishop Carroll, where she is and honors student and involved in the Jim Vance Media Program. Aside from that, she is a track and field athlete who spends most of her weekends traveling the United States. For fun, Laila likes to watch TikTok or YouTube, and she enjoys making videos. Over the years, she has become fascinated with the world of media. She’s taken classes such as sports journalism, digital media and script writing to further her communications education. Laila enjoys writing and loves to ask questions even more. She can’t wait to learn more about the communications field in the future.