Have you ever thought about the effect the packaging of those cigarettes have on your habit? It has long been known that people become very attached to the branding of their cigarettes, but what about the warnings on the packs?

An interesting study, reported by the independant suggests the health warnings on packs actually make smokers smoke more! You know the ones: smoking increases the cause of cancer, smoking kills, smoking causes a slow and painful death.

What is the cause for this? It is suggested that these sort of warnings bring out the rebel in us, by smoking we are defying death and illness, which is subconsciously very attractive for us. It is a variation on smoking is for rebels, smoking makes you cool. Just like daredevil stunt driving and skydiving, the sense of danger is ellicits is actually very attractive. A covert form of marketing?

The study says that messages on the packs to do with personal appearance would work better, such as "smoking makes your breath stink" and "smoking gives you horrible skin" would be more effective than death scare tactics.

It seems the Onion news site, a spoof comedy news site, already thought of this with their "smoking is gay" spoof anti-smoking campaign, shown below...