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{/googleAds} The study showed that chronic smokers have altered emotional reactions when they are exposed to negative and positive images associated with tobacco.  Researcher observed a bias depending on how smoking is portrayed For example, the brains of the smokers in the 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. In Canada and the United States, approximately 20% of adults smoke cigarettes despite knowing its adverse effects.

Approximately 70% to 95% of smokers who quit their bad habit will, despite their best efforts, start smoking again within one year. “Many factors make it difficult for people to quit. Part of the explanation could certainly be because cigarettes ‘trick’ the brains of smokers,” stated expert Stéphane Potvin.

Researcher discovered that the brain regions associated with motivation are more active in smokers when they see pleasurable images associated with cigarettes and less active when smokers are confronted with the negative effects of smoking.