Optimistic Bias and Perceived Control Among Cigarette Smokers‪.‬

Abstract Studies have shown that cigarette smokers are generally aware of increased health risks associated with smoking, but that smokers tend to underestimate their own susceptibility to disease. In general, optimistic bias has been shown to increase with greater perceived control over an event or behavior; however, this phenomenon has not been examined with regard to cigarette smoking in particular. In this study, 95 cigarette smokers answered a questionnaire that examined optimistic bias, perceived control over smoking, and :factors that influenced smoking behavior. It was hypothesized that greater perceived control would correspond with greater optimistic bias. It was also hypothesized that factors influencing smoking would explain more variance in optimistic bias than perceived control alone. Results indicated optimistic bias for this sample of smokers, which is consistent with previous studies, however, perceived control did not explain a significant proportion of variance in optimistic bias. Implications are discussed in relation to developing effective smoking cessation programs.