Learning that smoking cigarettes can one day lead to lung cancer is too long-term a consequence for many students. It is difficult for them to feel vulnerable when something bad might happen in 50 years. On the other hand, learning that smoking cigarettes stains teeth and decreases attractiveness is a powerful incentive not to smoke. The effects are more immediate. Students feel vulnerable because being attractive is something they value. Lessons for students should focus on both the immediate effects of smoking cigarettes, such as stained teeth, and the long term effect of lung cancer.
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