from Journal of Cognitive Psychology
Smoking is the primary cause of
preventable illness and death. So why do
people smoke? Certainly, addiction is a
factor, but perception could be another. A
study in the Journal of Cognitive
Psychology found smokers tend to have a
distorted view of when deadly damage
caused by smoking will occur compared to
nonsmokers. On average, smokers
thought both mild and severe smoking
related conditions would occur later in life
and this misperception may be based on a
lack of understanding about the
consequences of smoking and how rapidly
conditions can be caused to the body.
British authors say the distorted
perception may lead people to delay
quitting smoking or screening for smoking
related diseases.