Why does it say on the cigarette pack that smoking is harmful to health and recommends quitting smoking?

Everyone must have seen the slogan "Smoking is harmful to health" printed on every cigarette package. I thought this was a form of health knowledge promotion. The truth is, however, that warnings on cigarette packs increase smokers' desire to smoke.

A 2009 U.S. survey showed that warnings of death can make smokers feel stressed and fearful. This anxiety leads to the default way to relieve stress - smoking. This may seem completely illogical, but it makes sense based on the effects of stress on the brain. Stress triggers cravings and causes dopamine neurons to become more excited in the face of temptation.

Why does stress cause cravings?

When you are feeling down, how do you cheer yourself up? The most common methods should be - eating, drinking, shopping, watching TV, surfing the Internet and playing games, etc. We think we'll be happy because our brains promise us we'll feel better. However, the American Psychologist Association once conducted a survey on stress, which found that the most commonly used methods to relieve stress are precisely the methods that users find the least useful.

For example, after eating a lot of food, you will not feel happy, but will feel more guilty.

When we are depressed, our brains are more susceptible to temptation. Just as your brain protects itself in times of crisis, your brain will keep you in a good mood when you feel down, guiding you to do things it thinks will bring you happiness. He stubbornly believed that these were the correct ways to achieve happiness.

So, this can explain that when people with procrastination think that they are far behind schedule, they will be extremely frustrated, which in turn makes them continue to procrastinate and not face the fact that they are behind schedule; when When you are preparing for an exam and your review progress is delayed, you will feel anxious and will be less likely to review.

So, when smokers see the warning on the cigarette package, they will not think of quitting smoking, even if the sentence "Warning: Smoking can cause cancer" appears in the smoker's mind, or he realizes that smoking can cause cancer. He is fighting against death. Another part of their brain is screaming "Don't worry, a cigarette will make you happier."