# PTE SMW #1: Endorphins, Exercise and the Placebo...

Select Missing Word #1 - Level 1 - Feeds Listening

> You will hear a recording. At the end, the last word or words are replaced by a beep. Choose the option that best completes the recording.

- in their hearts
- of their feelings
- in their own brains
- from the muscle

## Answer

in their own brains

## Explanation

The speaker explains that a placebo lets people "tap into the supply of endorphins," the body's own painkillers. Endorphins are brain chemicals, so "in their own brains" completes the idea. The phrase "from the muscle" is tempting because muscles come up earlier. That part was about exercise, not the placebo effect.

## Hints

- Focus on the biological context of the lecture.
- Consider which option refers to a physical location where mental processing occurs.

## Transcript

There have been several influential studies in pain management. Some of the most interesting of these study endorphins, the body's own natural painkillers. For example, we now know that exercise stimulates the production of endorphins. Lack of exercise, on the other hand, not only shuts down endorphin production, but can also lead to muscle deterioration. This is why you see a lot of pain specialists prescribing exercise for patients with chronic pain. Another interesting area involves the power of the placebo effect. We've known for some time that a sugar pill or other inactive placebo can sometimes make a sick person feel better. Somehow, the power of suggestion or faith in the doctor or the drug will start a process of healing. We now think a neurochemical component. What may actually happen is the placebo effect allows some people to sort of tap into the supply of endorphins.

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