Some Potential Negative Social Consequences of Cigarette Smoking: Marketing Research in Reverse¹

Abstract

The effects of cigarette smoking on first impressions were examined in an interlocking series of studies. Provided college students evaluated peers who were neither extremely attractive nor unattractive, smoking typically reduced the positivity of evaluations regardless of participants' smoking. Targets photographed with smoking material were rated, for example, to be less considerate, calm, disciplined, honest, healthy, well-mannered, and happy than when smoking material was absent. Replication with apparently older participants evaluating college students did not reveal smoking to influence ratings strongly. Further replication did not reveal smoking material simply to influence college students' ratings of an attractive professional model. These results were compared with earlier studies of the effects of cigarette smoking on interpersonal evaluation and an educational unit for deterring smoking was discussed.

Smoking as a Job Killer: Reactions to Smokers in Personnel Selection

“…One important negative perception associated with smokers is that of lower cleanliness (Dermer and Jacobsen 1986). Non-smokers especially tend to perceive smokers as being less clean than non-smokers (Seiter et al 2010).…”

College students’ prejudicial biases against instructors who smoke cigarettes

“…In particular, several researchers have found that Black, Hispanic, and Asian instructors receive lower evaluation ratings than White instructors (e.g., Glascock and Ruggiero 2006;Hendrix 1997Hendrix , 1998McCroskey 2002McCroskey , 2003Rubin 1998), and that gay instructors receive lower evaluation ratings than straight instructors (e.g., Crandall and Cohen 1994;Ewing et al 2003;Russ et al 2002). Though no research has yet investigated potential biases specifically against instructors who smoke, a multitude of studies reveal that students do hold prejudicial biases against individuals who smoke (Amos et al 1998;Biasco and Hartnett 2002;Brosh et al 2003;Chambliss et al 2006;Cooper and Kohn 1989;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Echabe et al 1994;Moore 2005;Tokheim et al 1990). Conceivably, then, students may be biased against and give lower evaluation ratings to instructors who smoke than to instructors who do not smoke.…”

“…Furthermore, these students rate smokers as less attractive (Amos et al 1998;Biasco and Hartnett 2002;Cooper and Kohn 1989), less happy (Amos et al 1998;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Echabe et al 1994), less intelligent (Chambliss et al 2006;Cooper and Kohn 1989;Echabe et al 1994), less disciplined (Chambliss et al 2006;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Tokheim et al 1990), and less ambitious (Chambliss et al 2006;Moore 2005) than nonsmokers. This past research reveals that students do stigmatize and hold prejudicial biases against people who smoke.…”

“…Relevant to attitudes in educational settings, both college and high school students report feeling less positive about smokers than nonsmokers (Biasco and Hartnett 2002;Brosh et al 2003;Cooper and Kohn 1989;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Echabe et al 1994;Moore 2005;Tokheim et al 1990). Furthermore, these students rate smokers as less attractive (Amos et al 1998;Biasco and Hartnett 2002;Cooper and Kohn 1989), less happy (Amos et al 1998;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Echabe et al 1994), less intelligent (Chambliss et al 2006;Cooper and Kohn 1989;Echabe et al 1994), less disciplined (Chambliss et al 2006;Dermer and Jacobsen 1986;Tokheim et al 1990), and less ambitious (Chambliss et al 2006;Moore 2005) than nonsmokers.…”

Differences in generosity between smokers and nonsmokers in an upcoming smoking ban

“…Research has shown that nonsmokers have generally developed an unflattering and highly stigmatized view of the smoker. These perceptions span nearly all aspects of personality, but the stigma against smokers who are among the most relevant to the current study is that they are more hostile and less likeable, considerate, moral, and have worse manners than do nonsmokers (Bleda & Sandman, ; Clark, Klesges, & Neimeyer, ; Dermer & Jacobsen, ). In an article discussing the disdain that smokers often provoke from nonsmokers, Gibson () wrote, “As with any other case in which one group holds unfounded stereotypes of another, it would be ideal if a method for overcoming these stereotypes could be proposed.” The current study will demonstrate that it appears smokers may have done just that.…”