The placebo and the guitar

Luka's new guitar had the main attributes of a successful placebo:

1. Belief & enthusiasm by those who administered it  - me (it was more expensive therefore I believed it must be better ;))
2. Style - it looked so much nicer than the old one, therefore it will sound better
3. Luka then believed he would play better (and he did)

But strictly speaking, the new guitar does not really represent a true placebo as it does sound better than his old guitar and didn't look at all like the old one. However, even before he played it, Luka believed it would sound better.

The style effect is certainly true of many things - in particular software (if something looks good, it's easier to use...or at least we have more tolerance for anything that might be annoying), and also architecture.

Music and sound has a profound effect on how we perceive the character of our surroundings. The strings of the guitar would sound hollow and dull without the proper crafting of the body of the guitar, which acts as a resonating chamber.

The old guitar is in the midst of being repurposed into something else - it is obviously no longer functional as a guitar but no matter what is done to it, you'll always know what it once was and the potential is there for music.
The soul of the guitar, it's body, is still there.

The concept of the architectural placebo is closely linked with architectural determinism - architecture can change your life, 'healing architecture'.
However, the placebo concept acknowledges that people and culture play a huge role - the therapists who use the space and who believe it will help their therapy to work, the cultural backgrounds of the patients, the visitors who might be awestruck at the intriguing spaces and powerful presence of the entranceway.

Perhaps the main effect of many active ingredients in therapeutic drugs is the belief effect (the placebo effect) - this should work therefore it will.

How does architectural space encourage restoration of a troubled mind, and exert it's placebo effect?
- by providing space and privacy to think and to be
- by providing nonvisual support that this space is somewhere to relax and be comforted, somewhere safe (sounds of birds, nature, smells of natural timber, flowers, different textures, warmth and resilience rather cold and hard)
- by the contrast of the entrance and the living quarters
- the relationships between all these things, and the other spaces, the contrasts of light and shadow/high ceilings and low/views of the garden versus views of the other buildings/wood panelling versus tiles/smells of chemicals and therapy versus scents of the garden, grass, pine
- enhancing nostalgia, memories of past homes, mingling these with the new structure such as similar proportions, building materials (brick, plaster, wood, glass, vinyl), furnishings (shower curtains rather than glass doors, wooden toilet seats rather than plastic, wooden floor boards, retaining the old windows,