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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Creating Dynamic Images of Short-lived Dopamine Fluctuations with lp-ntPET: Dopamine Movies of Cigarette Smoking
Published on: August 6, 2013
"I smoke but I am not a smoker": phantom smokers and the discrepancy between self-identity and behavior
Youjin Choi1, Sejung Marina Choi, Nora Rifon
1Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea. goyoujin@gmail.com
Objective:
This article presents the development of a new smoking status, the "phantom smokers," who do not view themselves as smokers but report smoking cigarettes.
Participants:
Students from 2 universities in Michigan (N = 899; October 2005) and Florida (N = 1,517; May 2006) participated in surveys.
Methods:
Respondents in Michigan completed measures regarding smoking status and tobacco use, and respondents in Florida completed measures regarding smoking status, tobacco use, smoking consequences, and norms.
Results:
The studies identify the incidence of phantom smokers (29.6% in Michigan and 5.5% in Florida). Different questions resulted in different smoking rates. Phantom smokers expect more negative affect reduction and social facilitation from smoking than nonsmokers. Phantom smokers display ambivalent attitudes toward a typical smoker's image. They experience less pressure to change their smoking behavior than smokers.
Conclusion:
Phantom smokers' dissociation from smokers should be recognized and targeted as a distinct group for antismoking messages.
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