Smokers’ Brains Biased Against Negative Images of Smoking

According to a recent study, in chronic smokers, the use of cigarettes influences the perception of them, making these smokers more susceptible to their positive aspects and altering understanding of their drawbacks. The study conducted by Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal and University of Montreal showed that chronic smokers have altered emotional reactions when they are exposed to positive and negative images associated with tobacco. Using neuroimaging techniques, the study researchers compared the emotional reactions of 30 smokers as they looked at aversive smoking-related images, compared to other aversive images, as well as appetitive smoking-related images. The study’s first author Le-Anh Dinh-Williams explained, “For example, the brains of the smokers in our study were more aroused by images that showed smoking in a positive light than by images that encouraged them to stop. They were also more affected by aversive non-smoking related images than by images of the specific negative consequences of smoking.” To read more about this study, click here.