研究：吸烟危害生命 警示无助戒烟
2010-08-11 01:44:56   来源：作文地带   评论：0 点击：

　　Cigarette pack warnings that remind smokers of the fatal consequences of their habit may actually make them smoke more as a way to cope with the inevitability of death, according to researchers.

　　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 study was based on 39 psychology students, aged between 17 and 41, who said they were smokers.

　　Participants filled in a questionnaire to determine how much their smoking was based on self-esteem, were then shown cigarette packs with different warnings on them, and then after a 15-minute delay, the students were asked more questions about their smoking behavior that included if they intended to quit.

　　"On the one hand, death-related warnings were not effective and even ironically caused more positive smoking attitudes among smokers who based their self-esteem on smoking," the study said.

　　"On the other hand, warning messages that were unrelated to death effectively reduced smoking attitudes the more recipients based their self-esteem on smoking."

　　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.

　　The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

　　研究人员日前称，香烟包装上提醒吸烟危害生命的警示信息其实会让烟民吸得更多，因为死亡在所难免。

　　来自美国、瑞士和德国的心理学家开展的一项小规模研究表明，一些不触及死亡字眼的警示语，如“吸烟让人失去魅力”或“吸烟给你和周围的人带来严重伤害”等对改变烟民在吸烟问题上的态度更为有效。

　　研究人员称，这在借助吸烟来提升自尊的人群中尤为明显。例如，有些年轻人吸烟是为了引人注意，或者使自己更合群，还有些人认为吸烟可以提升自身的社会价值。

　　研究称：“总体来看，当烟民看到香烟包装上的触及死亡的警示信息时，他们反而会采取积极的应对举动，具体表现为继续这种危险行为。”