If nothing can, vanity can. The health industry is at the end of its tether regarding smoking addiction and a recent study carried out by researchers at Staffordshire University unveils that the changing face of beauty may have an impact on female smokers as they are shocked into quitting the habit upon seeing into the future and at what smoking will do to their faces. This is the first age-progression software used to investigate the matter.
The paper published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, describes the use of morphing technology in order to produce images of smokers and how their faces will age both if they remain smokers and if they stop smoking. This comparison has led to two thirds of the participants to quit the habit as a direct result.
The women involved were aged between 18 and 34 years and reactions to the images included nausea and physical shock. These women may be far away at the moment from heart disease, cancer or stroke but they now that the rapid signs of ageing attributed to smoking will begin showing sooner rather than later.
The participants will be tested once again in 6 months. They are very hopeful that subsequent to this experiment, the women will have kept to their initial decisions to stop smoking. All going well, the morphing software could become useful in all services operating to fight against smoking cessation.
If this was not reason enough to kick the habit, another recent study can ease us into withdrawal as it proves that giving up will make us happier.
Published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, a recent study reveals a relationship between stopping smoking and the alleviating of depression and a boost in happiness in the lives of ex-smokers. Brown University's researchers carried out a study involving 250 people, all of whom were trying to quit smoking. The aim of the study was to observe the effects of quitting on the emotions of the participants.
The depressive tendencies and generally positively altered mood, suggest that smoking impacts the mood and can cause depressive tendencies in smokers. This is contrary to the belief that cigarettes have an uplifting effect upon smokers due to the addictive nature of nicotine. The group of smokers were also heavy drinkers. They were simultaneously counselled on cutting out the amount of alcohol in their lives.
The participants received patches and counselling to take them through their withdrawal. A quit date was established and tests for depression and anxiety took place one week before then and then at regular intervals throughout the study. 99 subjects failed to quit, 44 remained off cigarettes for 2 weeks. 33 of the group stayed of cigarettes throughout the study.
Those who gave up for a shorter period of time contributed to the most insightful results of the study. Where those who gave up seemed to be of a happier disposition and less depressed. Once they began smoking again, their moods reverted back to a more depressed state. Smoking addiction and mental health are seen to be inter-related so but surely there must be a relationship between the depression, low spirits and the heavy drinking. The author of the study reminds us of a 2002 study where similar research was carried out on a group of smokers who all experienced depression but who did not drink and similar results were obtained.
Maybe these studies can bring us closer to fighting the addiction that contributes to the cause of 120,000 deaths in the UK every year due to illness such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.
souce:http://goarticles.com
The paper published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, describes the use of morphing technology in order to produce images of smokers and how their faces will age both if they remain smokers and if they stop smoking. This comparison has led to two thirds of the participants to quit the habit as a direct result.
The women involved were aged between 18 and 34 years and reactions to the images included nausea and physical shock. These women may be far away at the moment from heart disease, cancer or stroke but they now that the rapid signs of ageing attributed to smoking will begin showing sooner rather than later.
The participants will be tested once again in 6 months. They are very hopeful that subsequent to this experiment, the women will have kept to their initial decisions to stop smoking. All going well, the morphing software could become useful in all services operating to fight against smoking cessation.
If this was not reason enough to kick the habit, another recent study can ease us into withdrawal as it proves that giving up will make us happier.
Published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research, a recent study reveals a relationship between stopping smoking and the alleviating of depression and a boost in happiness in the lives of ex-smokers. Brown University's researchers carried out a study involving 250 people, all of whom were trying to quit smoking. The aim of the study was to observe the effects of quitting on the emotions of the participants.
The depressive tendencies and generally positively altered mood, suggest that smoking impacts the mood and can cause depressive tendencies in smokers. This is contrary to the belief that cigarettes have an uplifting effect upon smokers due to the addictive nature of nicotine. The group of smokers were also heavy drinkers. They were simultaneously counselled on cutting out the amount of alcohol in their lives.
The participants received patches and counselling to take them through their withdrawal. A quit date was established and tests for depression and anxiety took place one week before then and then at regular intervals throughout the study. 99 subjects failed to quit, 44 remained off cigarettes for 2 weeks. 33 of the group stayed of cigarettes throughout the study.
Those who gave up for a shorter period of time contributed to the most insightful results of the study. Where those who gave up seemed to be of a happier disposition and less depressed. Once they began smoking again, their moods reverted back to a more depressed state. Smoking addiction and mental health are seen to be inter-related so but surely there must be a relationship between the depression, low spirits and the heavy drinking. The author of the study reminds us of a 2002 study where similar research was carried out on a group of smokers who all experienced depression but who did not drink and similar results were obtained.
Maybe these studies can bring us closer to fighting the addiction that contributes to the cause of 120,000 deaths in the UK every year due to illness such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.
souce:http://goarticles.com
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