This Viewpoint defines mindsets – frames of mind that orient beliefs or expectations – discusses how they can influence patients' perceptions about treatment and self-efficacy, and proposes ways physicians might shape patients’ mindsets during clinical encounters to enhance treatment effectiveness.

Effective communication and the patient-physician relationship are central – not superfluous – aspects of medical care. However, it is not enough to simply say that any supportive conversation is therapeutic. Some conversations and some relationships can be more powerful than others, and it is important to apply the same scientific rigor used when developing new medications to attempts to understand the active ingredients in patient-physician conversations.

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