Dyslexia: the power of positive expectations
17.07.2025
The title of the recent study published in "Psychological Research" and conducted by researchers from the Universities of Padua and Bergamo is "Flickering lenses enhance reading performance through placebo effect." The study highlighted how the placebo effect can significantly improve reading in children with developmental dyslexia, surpassing the results of traditional rehabilitation programs. Developmental dyslexia, which affects between 5-10% of school-aged children, impairs reading and writing abilities despite normal intelligence.
The placebo effect, which consists of a positive response to verbal, visual, and social stimuli, is recognized as a powerful determinant of health in various conditions. Current rehabilitation programs for dyslexia, which attempt to automate the learning of the association between written letters and linguistic sounds, rarely control for the placebo effect. This leaves open the possibility that positive expectations may explain their efficacy.
The study used a double-blind experimental design on two groups: 49 children with dyslexia and 48 university students with reading difficulties. Participants were tested under three conditions: glasses off, glasses off with positive expectation, and glasses on. The results showed a strong placebo effect in the glasses off with positive expectation condition, improving both the reading speed of new words and reducing errors in reading familiar words. "The reading skills in the glasses off + expectation condition compared to the glasses off condition allowed us to discover for the first time a strong placebo effect on both errors made in reading familiar words and the speed in deciphering new words. The magnitude of this immediate effect is greater than that reported in long traditional dyslexia rehabilitation treatments," explains Sandro Franceschini, first author of the research from the Department of General Psychology at the University of Padua.
These results were also replicated in university students, suggesting that the positive expectations induced by dyslexia treatments might be a significant explanation for the observed improvements. Additionally, the study found that "flickering" glasses produce a slight increase in reading errors of familiar words and a mild acceleration in decoding new words.
The research emphasizes the importance of considering the placebo effect in treatments for developmental dyslexia and suggests that positive expectations can have a significant impact on therapeutic outcomes.
