Air date: October 10, 2010

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You may not believe this, but according to, oh, about a billion studies, smoking is bad for you.

Of course we’re already well aware. But just knowing about the health hazards of smoking doesn’t make it any easier quit. Which is why, according to a recent study, emphasizing the health benefits of kicking the habit may be a better way to go.

"I don’t think it’s a surprising finding, but I do think it’s an important one."

That’s Jon Macy, a smoking researcher at Indiana University. He said that positive messages tend to work when there are clear benefits and few risks.

"Using sunscreen as an example, there aren’t many perceived risks to using sunscreen. But there are obvious benefits to it, so in a case like that, a positively framed message is likely to be more effective."

So too with quitting smoking, Macy said. Other than the difficulty of actually doing it, there’s really no risk to giving up cigarettes. Not that knowing the benefits makes it any easier to quit, which is notoriously difficult. But that’s all the more reason to emphasize the positives.

"Messaging that’s positive, that’s really encouraging and encouraging people to continue to try and that they understand that it’s hard to quit and that it’s not unusual that they haven’t had success the first few times. That’s more likely to be more helpful to folks."

To be sure, no single positive message will be enough to get a smoker to quit. But a steady stream of encouragement and information about the immediate health benefits of giving up smoking can make a difference.

I’m Jeremy Shere.

Additional Resources:

• Read about the Yale University research study about the effectiveness of positive messages for smokers who want to quit.