Fear Is a Weak Motivator

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

My younger brother just had his first baby and he's smoked for about as long as you had...I know that he's struggled with it because it is so friggin addictive.

You damn right it is. But there are things that are much stronger than that addiction.

Makes me mad when I see people smoke around small children. Even my own family. My sister has a little girl and she's exposed to smoke most of the time. She doesn't know any better but I feel so bad for her.

[ieldanth 0]

I think the article was referring mainly to social and health related behaviors and how they are effectively changed. Fear obviously plays a role in manipulating all kinds of behaviors but that does not necessarily mean that fear is the prime motivator in changing behaviors, especially when it comes to health factors.

I'm curious to know why it's not effective when it comes to health. I'm not discounting it, my inkling is that fear in general causes people to react. Perhaps the attempt at invoking the fear is ineffective? In other words, people just aren't getting scared?

Oh, people are getting scared alright. I know I was for most of the time when I was smoking. My grandpa died of lung cancer and that's a memory that has always been in the back of my mind when I lit up. I lit up nonetheless for almost 20 years. Fact is, no matter how scared I was, I was also fcuking addicted to that stuff.

What did it for me? The prospect of becoming a father. I grew up amongst smokers and I always thought that I wouldn't want my baby to have that same experience. Hence, when Nani and I decided that it's time to get serious about our baby, I put out that last cigarette. Never even thought of lighting up again.

So, in my case, fear did nothing to stop me smoking. My baby did.

Just curious, but did you quit cold-turkey or did you use something like the patch?

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I think the article was referring mainly to social and health related behaviors and how they are effectively changed. Fear obviously plays a role in manipulating all kinds of behaviors but that does not necessarily mean that fear is the prime motivator in changing behaviors, especially when it comes to health factors.

I'm curious to know why it's not effective when it comes to health. I'm not discounting it, my inkling is that fear in general causes people to react. Perhaps the attempt at invoking the fear is ineffective? In other words, people just aren't getting scared?

Oh, people are getting scared alright. I know I was for most of the time when I was smoking. My grandpa died of lung cancer and that's a memory that has always been in the back of my mind when I lit up. I lit up nonetheless for almost 20 years. Fact is, no matter how scared I was, I was also fcuking addicted to that stuff.

What did it for me? The prospect of becoming a father. I grew up amongst smokers and I always thought that I wouldn't want my baby to have that same experience. Hence, when Nani and I decided that it's time to get serious about our baby, I put out that last cigarette. Never even thought of lighting up again.

So, in my case, fear did nothing to stop me smoking. My baby did.

Just curious, but did you quit cold-turkey or did you use something like the patch?

Cold turkey. It was August 12 of last year. Never looked back.

[Marc and Olga 0]

I think the article was referring mainly to social and health related behaviors and how they are effectively changed. Fear obviously plays a role in manipulating all kinds of behaviors but that does not necessarily mean that fear is the prime motivator in changing behaviors, especially when it comes to health factors.

I'm curious to know why it's not effective when it comes to health. I'm not discounting it, my inkling is that fear in general causes people to react. Perhaps the attempt at invoking the fear is ineffective? In other words, people just aren't getting scared?

Oh, people are getting scared alright. I know I was for most of the time when I was smoking. My grandpa died of lung cancer and that's a memory that has always been in the back of my mind when I lit up. I lit up nonetheless for almost 20 years. Fact is, no matter how scared I was, I was also fcuking addicted to that stuff.

What did it for me? The prospect of becoming a father. I grew up amongst smokers and I always thought that I wouldn't want my baby to have that same experience. Hence, when Nani and I decided that it's time to get serious about our baby, I put out that last cigarette. Never even thought of lighting up again.

So, in my case, fear did nothing to stop me smoking. My baby did.

Just curious, but did you quit cold-turkey or did you use something like the patch?

Cold turkey. It was August 12 of last year. Never looked back.

Babies help with the willpower!

[ieldanth 0]

Cold turkey. It was August 12 of last year. Never looked back.

I applaud your will-power. Had to use the patch myself. Arm felt like it was host to a colony of chiggers.