Cigarette pack warnings that remind smokers² of the fatal consequences of their habit may actually make them smoke more as a way to cope with the inevitability³ of death, according to researchers.

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。

smoker¹ lights up a cigarette in a public place near the Stade de Geneve in Geneva August 22, 2007." width="400" height="320" src="/upimg/091212/4_055814_1.jpg" />
A smoker lights up a cigarette in a public place near the Stade de Geneve in Geneva August 22, 2007.

A small study by psychologists心理学家 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适应，符合 their peers平辈，同事 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 risky⁴ smoking behavior," the study said.

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

The study was based on 39 psychology⁵ students, aged⁶ between 17 and 41, who said they were smokers.

Participants filled in a questionnaire问卷，调查表 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 recipients⁷ 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.