Objectives : Placebo phenomena have been considered as a confounding factor of clinical trial. Expectancy and belief of acupuncture have not been evaluated quantitatively. The present study was performed to analyze the emotional and cognitive factor .of acupuncture and investigate whether the expectancy of acupuncture treatment is associated with the cognition of acupuncture. Methods : The expectancy and the perception of bodily sensation (PBS) of 22 participants were assessed using self-reported questionnaire. The subjects used the self assessment manikin (SAM) to rate each of the standard affective image of the international affective picture system (lAPS) and other acupuncture-related image. Based on the degree of expectancy, the high expectant (HE) and the low expectant (LE) group were classified. The thermal and pressure pain threshold was objectively evaluated using radiant-heat device and algometer. The degree of expected pain of acupuncture and the actual pain of painful stimulation was subjectively evaluated using facial pain scales (FPS). Results : Using SAlVI analysis, we identified the negative correlation between hedonic valence and arousal dimension on acupuncture-related visual cue. The degree of the PBS and general pain threshold did not show any significant difference between the HE and the LE group. The HE group rated the acupuncture images as more pleasant, more arousing, than the LE group. In addition, we also found that the higher expectancy marked the lower FPS of the expected pain of acupuncture, but not of the actual pain of painful stimulation. Conclusions : Our preliminary study identified the psychological dimensions of acupuncture-related visual cue. These findings indicate that the expectancy of acupuncture could affect the cognition of acupuncture.