The new study has revealed that pictures bearing aftermaths of tobacco and warning signs have more deep impact on the smokers as compared to text warnings.
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The research undertaken by Ohio State University researchers revealed that smokers who saw graphic warning labels on every pack of cigarettes they smoked for four weeks had more negative feelings about smoking compared to those who saw just text warnings, which led them to look more closely at the warnings and put more credence into them.
This was associated with them thinking their habit was more dangerous and being more likely to consider quitting.
Lead researcher Ellen Peters, co-author of the study and professor of psychology said the graphic images motivated smokers to think more deeply about their habit and the risks associated with smoking.
Abigail Evans, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in psychology at Ohio State said the study provides real-world evidence of how viewing these graphic images over time has an impact on smokers beyond what occurs with simple text warnings.
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After carrying out the experiments, the results showed that smokers who had the warning labels with the graphic labels were more likely than those who received only text warnings to report that the packaging made them feel worse about smoking.
They were also more likely to read or look closely at the information on the warning labels and they better remembered what was on the labels.
The study is published in the Journal PLOS ONE.