Health warnings drive people to smoke

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 study by psychologists from the US, 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 the 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.