Thanks for your appreciation, Kylie.

My article is not about denying the mind-body connection. It is about making unsubstantiated claims about this connection’s effect on physiological markers that are implausible and not supported by any replicable evidence.

Your example #1 is actually a good one for the mind-body connection. The facial pallor results from the release of adrenaline in response to your step-dad’s frightening message. Adrenaline causes (peripheral) blood vessels to constrict and redirects blood to organs that are vital for the fight-flight response. That response makes sense. Telling somebody that their candy contains no sugar when it is loaded with it, and claiming that this mutes the physiological blood sugar response is an entirely different ballgame. One that doesn’t make sense.

The idea that plants grow better when exposed to classical music is a popular one, but the evidence is mixed. And it is not only related to classical music. Vedic chants and hard rock have also been claimed to positively affect growth.

On our motorbike torus through Thailand, we once stopped over at a guy’s farm who claimed that his plants “dance” when people sing to them. So, one of us got the idea of checking it out. So, here stood a bunch of Harley riders in full leather gear, singing to a bed of flowers. And they moved, a little. Whether that was the wind, the beer on our breath, or simply the torture of listening to us, I don’t know. I still suspect the guy had this gig running as his personal gag reel.

Or maybe I’m more suggestible after all?

Your example #2: I’m a bit skeptical about this, but there are people who are more suggestible than others. These are the ideal subjects for hypnosis, for example. Repeat the same exercise with me, and nothing will happen.