# Power Balance wristbands, what's going on? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 13, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978 "2010-06-13T02:16:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![charlie145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@charlie145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charlie145)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/1 "2010-06-13T02:16:31Z")
My mum just saw an item on a TV show here in Australia extolling the virtues of these wristbands which are apparently being used by sportsmen and women all over the world, in particular in Aussie Rules Football where professional athletes are being seen with them more and more to the extent that the sport’s governing body is investigating whether their use should be classified as cheating. Googling around gives a lot of conflicting information, lots of seemingly credible websites and individuals promote them and claim to see big improvements from using the bands and there are of course many other sites that call them a scam and nothing more. I would sit myself firmly on the side of the fence that calls it a craterload of BS but I can’t find any reliable research that has been done on them. So what’s the straight dope on these things, are professional sportsmen and women being paid to wear them and promote them or is there a massive placebo effect going on? (or, far less likely, is there something to it?) I won’t include a link to the site selling them in case I get mistaken for someone who is promoting the product. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/2 "2010-06-13T02:31:23Z")
It’s bullshit. Wearing a hologram doesn’t do anything for your body. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/3 "2010-06-13T13:10:00Z")
Wow. Hard to figure out who is stupider, the athletes that wear them or the governing body that thinks they are “cheating”. Just when I think people can’t get any dumber, I am proven wrong yet again. I need to get in on a scam like this. Thirty bucks! I wonder if that’s for each? Sixty bucks the pair for an item that has to cost about a buck to make? Wowzers. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/4 "2010-06-13T13:25:19Z")
Don’t forget that they have **magnets** in there too. Wow!! It is just so sad. I was at dinner a while ago and someone was wearing one. He handed it around and one of the women there was saying how it made her whole arm tingle. Just a bit of rubber, some tiny magnets and little hologram. One dollar is what it should sell for, not what it cost to make. They probably cost about 20 cents from the factory in China. But remember, people won’t value it if you sell it cheaply. Junk like this makes me sad mostly. I’m beyond being mad about so many people being taken in. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/5 "2010-06-13T13:37:40Z")
What is most horrible about it is that the people who are advocating their use are poor dumb but sincere athletes who confuse the placebo effect for real performance enhancement. It’s no surprise that they would try anything that could help them perform better. Too bad they have no advisers willing to tell them it’s BS and they are being made to look like idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/6 "2010-06-13T13:52:29Z")
Are these the same as the [Q-Ray bracelets](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/PhonyAds/qray.html) that have been around here for quite some time? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/7 "2010-06-13T13:59:39Z")
Slightly different flavor of bullshit, but yes, there are similarities. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/8 "2010-06-13T14:06:37Z")
Pretty [much the same thing](http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/power-of-holograms-or-just-a-big-scam/story-e6frecj3-1225849554095) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/9 "2010-06-13T17:16:55Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > What is most horrible about it is that the people who are advocating their use are poor dumb but sincere athletes who confuse the placebo effect for real performance enhancement. It’s no surprise that they would try anything that could help them perform better. Too bad they have no advisers willing to tell them it’s BS and they are being made to look like idiots. I dunno. Using the placebo effect to your advantage doesn’t sound too bad. Since the only way to do it is to not know you are doing it, that means you have to be deceived. Though just using voluntary hypnosis would probably be more ethical. ---
**Author:** ![charlie145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@charlie145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charlie145)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/10 "2010-06-13T19:16:37Z")
I guess if you are an athlete you will try anything that might give you an edge and even if it’s a placebo effect you are still essentially seeing improvement so it’s worth it if you are convinced it will work. I was hoping to find a scientific study into the effects of these bands (or anything similar), perhaps comparing improvement observed when people know they are using them vs. when they are unaware to see how strong the placebo effect can be. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/11 "2010-06-13T19:32:30Z")
What I read about the placebo effect suggests that it is still potentially powerful when you are aware you are using a placebo. And, aren’t there baseball players who won’t wash their socks during a winning streak, and that sort of thing? Now, then - are the governing bodies getting kickbacks from the bracelet manufacturers to make them illegal? I can’t imagine anything better for business than having them made illegal for the 0.0001% of your customer base that competes professionally. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/12 "2010-06-13T19:39:46Z")
> [@charlie145](#): > > I guess if you are an athlete you will try anything that might give you an edge. And if you’re a professional athlete, you’ll do anything for money. NB if there are any hawkers of dubious overpriced junk out there, I’ll happily endorse your useless crap for less than $250,000. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/13 "2010-06-13T19:56:10Z")
> [@charlie145](#): > > … these wristbands which are apparently being used by sportsmen and women all over the world, in particular in Aussie Rules Football where professional athletes are being seen with them more and more… Yep, athletes are no smarter than the average bloke and P.T. Barnum was right. > [@](#): > > I can’t find any reliable research that has been done on them. That should be a red flag right there. ---
**Author:** ![charlie145](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@charlie145](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/charlie145)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/14 "2010-06-13T20:03:00Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Yep, athletes are no smarter than the average bloke I can understand that but these bands are being recommended to the players by physiotherapists and fitness training staff who you would think would know better, unless they are relying on a placebo effect occurring. I suppose it is probably worth giving them to the entire team even if it only gives a 5% improvement to a couple of the players. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/15 "2010-06-13T23:36:56Z")
> [@charlie145](#): > > I can understand that but these bands are being recommended to the players by physiotherapists and fitness training staff… ..who aren’t smarter than the average athlete, either, at least in the fraud department. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/16 "2010-06-14T00:38:59Z")
Ya gotta love this stuff: > [@](#): > > Power Balance is performance technology that uses holograms embedded with frequencies that react positively with your body’s natural energy field to improve balance, strength and flexibility," the Power Balance website claims. It’s more than a little depressing to realize that you can make millions publishing arrant nonsense like that. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/17 "2010-06-14T01:07:46Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > It’s more than a little depressing to realize that you can make millions publishing arrant nonsense like that. Its one thing to offer the crap, but when folks suck it up and hand over the cash, who’s to blame? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/18 "2010-06-14T01:23:12Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > Its one thing to offer the crap, but when folks suck it up and hand over the cash, who’s to blame? Quacks and ignorance? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/19 "2010-06-14T01:32:13Z")
With reference to post #16, “Power Balance is quantum, hologram technology that uses positive energy embedded with flexible performance frequencies that react to your body’s natural vibrations to balance and improve well-being and spectral fields.” See? You can combine scientific-sounding gobblety-gook in an endless number of ways and it makes exactly the same sense, i.e., to a scientist, none; to the public, “Wow! I gotta get me one of those!” ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978/20 "2010-06-14T01:47:30Z")
Recently I was visiting a friend who was wearing one; I had never heard of them. Her husband and a partner are selling them as a sideline and doing well. He’s a smart guy and all, so I was kind of appalled. But plenty of the people selling them buy into it as well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/power-balance-wristbands-whats-going-on/542978.md?page=2)