One third of women treated with a placebo pill for low libido reported improved sex lives, which is evidence of a mind-body link for sexual arousal, according to findings published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and reported by HealthDay News.

For the study, researchers reviewed data from a previous 12-week study of 50 women, ages 35 to 55, diagnosed with female sexual arousal disorder. Participants took Cialis––a drug used to treat male sexual dysfunction—or a placebo. Researchers also asked the women to have sex at least three times a month and record how often and satisfying the sexual experiences were.

Scientists found that 35 percent of the women given placebos experienced a number of psycho-sexual improvements. Participants related more desire, arousal with better lubrication and more frequent or easily attained orgasms.

Women’s sex lives improved because they hoped the pill might work and were totally focused on having better sex, suggested Andrea Bradford, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

“I think just the act of attending to their sex lives was very therapeutic for some women,” Bradford said.

While the frequency of how much sex the women had dipped over time, participants confirmed their sex lives were much improved.

“It was quality over quantity,” Bradford added.

Read RH’s “Is Sex a Lust-Less Affair?” to learn why loss of sexual desire might not signal a lack of love for one’s partner.