Why a doctor saying 'it's normal' can backfire
A new study from the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management suggests that when physicians try to reassure patients by saying their symptoms are "normal," patients may infer that treatment isn't necessary—and become less inclined to seek it. Doctors may think they're saying "Don't panic." But many patients hear "Don't bother" instead.
A new study from the University of California San Diego Rady School of Management indicates that when doctors reassure patients their symptoms are normal, it may lead patients to believe treatment is unnecessary. This misunderstanding may cause patients to seek less medical help. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, involved 14 experiments with 9,371 participants.
The researchers found that while doctors thought normalizing symptoms would encourage treatment, the opposite happened. Patients often interpreted "normal" as meaning their symptoms were acceptable and not worth treating. To address this issue, the study suggests two methods: doctors can pair normalizing language with an explicit treatment recommendation and clarify that "normal" refers to statistical commonality, not a normative expectation.
Despite doctors' intentions to ease anxiety, this communication gap can lead patients to believe treatment is not necessary. Patients should not assume that a symptom being labeled "normal" means they should not seek medical attention.
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