Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Big screen tobacco use influential on smokers
By Staff Writer
A recent study may lead to a better understanding of nicotine addiction. Researchers have found that seeing others smoke makes smokers light up their own cigarette.
In the study, 17 smokers and 17 nonsmokers were shown the first 30 minutes of the movie Matchstick Men. The participants were undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging as the film screened and were not told they were a part of a smoking study.
Film scenes that included smoking led to greater activity in the brains of the volunteers who smoked. This was especially true in the intraparietal sulcus, a part of the parietal lobe involved in the perception and coordination of actions. For the study participants, the activity corresponded to the hand they use to smoke.
These results led the researchers to believe that seeing others smoke, even when it is in a movie, make individuals crave a cigarette. Further studies are required to see if these images can influence a relapse in smokers who are attempting to quit.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that movies featuring cigarette use can influence smoking in adolescents. Despite a decrease in onscreen smoking in recent years, about half of 2009's popular films still contained tobacco-related imagery.
Individuals who are addicted to nicotine and wish to quit may want to seek substance abuse help.
