Objective: To test whether 2 conceptually overlapping constructs, dispositional optimism
(generalized positive expectations) and optimistic bias (inaccurately low risk perceptions) …

Although some optimists may be accurate in their positive beliefs about the future, others
may be unrealistic—their optimism is misplaced. Research shows that some smokers exhibit …

Describes a motivational intervention to change smokers' beliefs about their risk of
contracting smoking-related diseases. When smokers are compared with other smokers they …

Smokers, unlike other populations engaging in risky behavior, readily acknowledge that
tobacco use increases their susceptibility to smoking‐related illness. This study used data …

The role of optimistic bias in beliefs about the health consequences of cigarette smoking
was examined by assessing young adults' perceptions of the health risks of smoking, both …

Objectives: Optimistic bias, a perception that one's own risks are lower than others', can help
explain why adolescents smoke cigarettes despite knowing their risks. We examined the …

Aims To examine the influence of risk perception on intentions to quit smoking and post‐
treatment abstinence. Design Prospective and longitudinal. Setting United States …

Using an experimental manipulation embedded in a national survey, this study investigated
the effect on smokers' risk judgments of receiving accurate information about the cigarette …

Smokers consider themselves less likely than others to contract smoking‐associated
diseases. This result has been interpreted as a weak form of irrationality. Alternatively, it can …

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 …