Poll: Smoking Is Uncool Now

Smoking cigarettes is no longer considered “glamorous” or “cool,” according to a British poll. The British Heart Foundation surveyed 2,000 smokers, and a measly 1% said they think lighting up a cigarette enhances their image. And two-thirds said they believe the public's attitude towards smokers is becoming negative. "Smoking has been considered normal for far too long so it's encouraging to see attitudes are finally changing," says Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse for the charity. "The results are great news for smokers aiming to quit smoking because they suggest friends and family are more likely to fully support them in beating their addiction to tobacco for good." But US teens may have missed the "smoking is out" memo: a survey last year found many California teens still light up out of a desire to be cool or popular. Smoking also remains a common theme in many American films and TV shows. Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco found that there were nearly 1,900 portrayals of smoking and other tobacco usage among the 134 highest-grossing films at the box office in 2011. The PG-13 rated movies with more than 50 on-screen tobacco shots were: The Help, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and Water for Elephants, as well as the PG-rated animated film Rango.