The consumption of tobacco would have an influence on the perception of the risks attributable to its consumption, according to a study which observed by imagery the cerebral reactions of smokers.
Chronic smokers would not have the same perception of the inconveniences or even the dangers involved in tobacco consumption. This is what a study carried out by the University Institute in Mental Health and the University of Montreal has just shown. This work published in the journal Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry has in fact analyzed the effects of chronic tobacco consumption on the brain and the perception of users. “We found that there is a bias between what the smoker sees and what he feels, like a reverse process,” said Le-Anh Dinh-Williams, lead author of the study.
The effects of cigarettes trick the brains of smokers
So to carry out their work, these researchers therefore compared, using imagery, the emotional reactions of 30 smokers to negative images associated with tobacco, for example lung cancer, and those aroused by other negative images. , but unrelated to smoking. This team carried out the same type of observation in front of attractive images of cigarettes. “Concretely, we have discovered that the regions of the brain linked to motivation are activated more in smokers when they are presented with images of pleasure associated with smoking and slowing down when it comes to the negative effects of smoking”, specify authors. The conclusion of this study is therefore that the brains of smokers are more motivated by images that comfort them in their smoking situation than those that would motivate them to quit smoking. Finally, the brains of smokers would be biased to the point of even being more afflicted by images of negative situations unrelated to smoking than by those clearly showing the damage tobacco has on health.
A discovery that could explain the failures of weaning
According to these researchers, this work could help to better understand the fact that despite their efforts, the vast majority of smokers have such a hard time getting rid of this addiction. “Several factors can justify these difficulties. Of these, the fact that the effects of cigarettes trick the brains of smokers may certainly be part of the explanation, ”adds Stéphanie Potvin, co-author of the study. Thanks to this study, it may now be easier to understand why health messages and shocking photos are so difficult to convince. For a smoker with a biased brain, being aware of or even being confronted with the negative impacts of tobacco would not be enough to prevent him from lighting a new cigarette.
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