No smoking signs raise craving

The Scotsman
Fri, 06 May 2011 15:53 UTC

Smokers who see a "no smoking" sign are driven to crave a cigarette, research suggests.

A study presented at the British Psychological Society in Glasgow found that when smokers were shown scenes where no smoking signs were visible they were subconsciously drawn to having a cigarette because the idea of smoking had been put in their head. Researchers said was ironic.

The researchers recruited a group of smokers who were shown 25 pictures of everyday scenes on the street and in cafés and bars. In around seven of the images, no smoking signs were included in their usual locations.

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