How to Give Up Smoking

You probably need to be over 70 to appreciate Sherwin B Nuland’s book, ‘The Art of Aging’ but it does contain a novel tactic to help people give up smoking.

As a doctor, Nuland finds he has more success persuading people to quit by appealing to their vanity than he does by warning them about their health.

When he meets a smoker for the first time he asks them why they smoke so much and they ask him how he can tell. He explains they look 10 years older than their age would suggest.

He can recognize a heavy smoker by the lines on their face which are impossible to miss in women over 50 when you know what to look for and a bit harder to detect in men. Apparently, thin lines appear at the corners of the mouth and gradually stretch to the area below the nostrils, eventually reaching the cheeks and corners of the eyes.

Getting people to realize that smoking makes them look older may be an effective way to help people give up smoking.