For any of you Morons out there who smoke cigarettes, it is officially time that we blame the Surgeon General and, by proxy, the government, for our nasty habit.  So, now, at least while I'm killing myself with a Parliament Light, I'll know in my smug little heart that it isn't my fault.  It's the fucking warning label!

A small study by psychologists from the United States, Switzerland and Germany showed that warnings unrelated to death, such as "smoking makes you unattractive" or "smoking brings you and the people around you severe damage," were more effective in changing smokers' attitudes toward their habit.

This was especially the case in people who smoked to boost their self-esteem, such as youth who took up the habit to impress or fit in with their peers and others who thought smoking increased their social value, the researchers said.

"In general, when smokers are faced with death-related anti-smoking messages on cigarette packs, they produce active coping attempts as reflected in their willingness to continue the risky smoking behavior," the study said.

"To succeed with anti-smoking messages on cigarette packs one has to take into account that considering their death may make people smoke."

[...]

The researchers said this finding can be explained by the fact that warnings such as "smoking makes you unattractive" may be particularly threatening to people who believe that smoking makes them feel valued by others or boosts their self-image.

If only the Surgeon General's warning told me that smoking makes me ugly.  I never would have started in the first place.

UPDATE: This time, with the source.  Whoops.

Posted by: Ember at 08:39 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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