November 14, 2011   Certain types of anti-smoking ads may not be effective for young adult smokers who are generally anxious, according to a study published in Health Communication. Researchers found that these smokers tend to tune out anti-smoking videos that warn how smoking can lead to disease and death and how secondhand smoke can harm others. The researchers found a strong association between high levels of neuroticism and a desire to avoid listening to or considering an anti-smoking message that caused fear, sadness or nervousness. Neurotic students also felt that this type of message was biased and therefore not trustworthy. The researchers said their findings suggest that positive messages may be far more effective in convincing neurotic smokers to kick the habit. “If an ad showed a person saying, ‘I’m a recovered smoker and look at how much energy I have. Look at how wonderful my life is,’ then it could head off the negative response we’ve seen in our study,” said lead author Christin Bates Huggins.

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