Groningen University. Netherlands: Scary images of blackened lungs or tumors
on cigarette packets are not an effective deterrent for all smokers.
That is the conclusion of Professor Arie Dijkstra on the basis of
research published recently in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,
a scientific journal edited by the American Psychological Association.
He believes that, if the images are introduced, smokers should also have
cheap and easy access to support in stopping smoking.
Prof. Arie Dijkstra, Professor of Health Psychology
at the University of Groningen, studied the effect of alarming images on
smokers’ intentions to quit, as well as on their smoking behaviour. He
asked half the sample of 118 smokers to apply stickers of the scary
images to their cigarette packets for three weeks. The other half
carried on using their normal cigarette packets with the current written
warnings.
The results show that the alarming pictures worked
for people who do not usually make a lot of excuses for carrying on
smoking. They developed stronger intentions to quit and also smoked
significantly less during the three weeks. Heavy smokers also reacted
positively to the images and developed stronger intentions to quit.
Previous research has shown that these intentions are a significant
predictive factor in whether a smoker will indeed try to quit. In
smokers who make lots of excuses and in lighter smokers, the images had
no detectable effect. According to Dijkstra, there is a danger that
especially smokers who make lots of excuses will discard to whole idea
of quitting. To confirm these negative effects of scary images, more
smokers will have to be studied for a longer time.
Dijkstra concludes that the unpleasant images can be
effective, but not for everyone. It is also not entirely clear whether
they actually make the situation worse for some people. ‘The best advice
I can give on the basis of my research is that, if these alarming
images are introduced, it is important that we also provide a solution.
Smokers must have cheap and easy access to support with stopping
smoking.’
Prof. Arie Dijkstra
is professor of the Social Psychology of Health and Illness at the
University of Groningen. He is specialized in the psychology of health
behaviour and addiction.
Dijkstra, A., & Bos, C. (2015, January 26). The Effects of Repeated Exposure to Graphic Fear Appeals on Cigarette Packages: A Field Experiment. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
Online publication: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/adb0000049