Exposing teens to graphic anti-smoking posters may actually increase the risk that some start smoking, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Our findings are counterintuitive and suggest that some anti-smoking strategies may actually go too far.

Conducted in a one-of-a-kind laboratory that replicates a convenience store, the study found that some teens who viewed a poster depicting gruesome displays of smoking-caused diseases actually reported being more susceptible to cigarette smoking after viewing the displays during a shopping trip.

The negative effects were found among teens who, before viewing the posters, reported being at some risk for smoking. The graphic posters did not appear to have any effect on teens who were committed to never smoking.

Researchers say that a shortcoming of their study is that they tested only one anti-smoking poster with the adolescents and they did not experiment with a variety of poster sizes or a greater variety of store placement.

Read the full article on anti-smoking posters at RAND