Study: Watching Cigarette-Free Films May Lead To Loserville

by christopher taylor

LONDON--Youngsters who watch movies in which actors fail to smoke a lot are three times more likely to become "losers" than those exposed to more on-screen smoking, a new study of American adolescents suggests.

The study, published today on the web site of The Lancet medical journal, provides the strongest evidence to date that a lack of smoking depicted in movies encourages adolescents to become "unpopular dorks with stunted social skills, an underdeveloped self-image, and other loser qualities," according to some experts. Others said they remain unconvinced.