有头脑的人的选择

有头脑的人的选择

thethinkingman'schoice

contactismade.nervesorderthehearttopumpfaster.adrenalinsurgestoaction.nervesconstrictthebloodvesselsintheextremitiesofthebody.skintemperaturedrops.fingersandtoesgrowcolder.bloodpressurejump.analcoholicoradopeaddictinthefirststagesofa"cure"?amanbeingcatapultedintoouterspace?no!theseeffectsstemfromsmokingjustonecigarette.

theunitedstatespublichealthserviceisissuingcontinualwarningstosmokers.iftheyabstainpletelyfromsmoking,theirchancesofacquiringlungcancerwillbeonein275.theirchancesofdyingoflungcancerwillbeonein10iftheybeeheavysmokers─twoormorepacksaday.lungcancerisfatalin95percentofallcases.

butinspiteofglaringevidenceandfrequentwarnings,thepublicissmokingmoreandmore.thedepartmentofagricultureestimatesthatthisyear'sconsumptionofcigaretteswillreach180packsperpersonfifteenyearsofageandover.howmanycigarettesdoesthismeanperperson?─3600.

whyissmokingsuchanimportantproblem?becausesmokingisnotamerehabit,assomanythinkitis.no,itismoreseriousthanthat.ahabitcanbebrokeneasilyenough,butanaddictioncannot.smokerslapseintohelplessness!danielschubert,oftheuniversityofchicago,quizzed226studentsatalargenorthwesterncollegeabouttheirsmokinghabits─whytheystarted,whatsatisfactiontheygot,andiftheywantedtostop.accordingtoschubert,theywantedtoquitsmoking;buttheycouldn't.

ifoneisaddictedtocigarettes,heisdependentuponthemphysically,aswellaspsychologically.whatisit,ifitisnotaddiction,thatmotivatesamantogooutinsub-zeroweathertobuyapackofcigarettes?ifnecessary,hewilldrivetenmileslateatnighttofindanopendrugstore.whatisit,ifitisnotaddiction,thatmakesamoocherofanotherwisecharmingyounggirl?

iwastalkingtoaprofessornotlongagowhohadjustquitsmoking.hetoldmewhatmostofyoualreadyknow─thatoncethehabitisstarted,watchout!itisnexttoimpossibletostopsmoking.iaskedhimhowheevermanagedtoquitwhenhehadbeensmokingoverapackadayfortenyears.listentohisstory.

"well,icutdowntoone-halfpackadayforthefirstweek.

iwastouchymostofthetime.theslightestirritationmademynervesjangleandmyheadwanttoexplode.thenextweekismokedfivecigarettesadayandhadanevenworsecaseofnerves.thenthefollowingweekichewedgumandsuckedonmints,candy,andpipestems.frankly,iwasn'tsurefromonemomenttothenextificouldkeepgoing.somehowimadeit."

manyofyouknohatthisprofessoristalkingabout;you,too,havetriedtobreaktheaddiction,hefewminuteswehaveheretodaywecananalyzethemotivesattherootofoursmokingproblem.

perhapswecanassurethosewhodonotsmoke,(andiamhappyicanstillincludemyselfinthisgroup),tonipinthebudtheurgesofthosewhoareabouttobeginsmoking,andtoencouragetocut-downthosewhoarealreadyconfirmedsmokers.

let'sbeginwithgrouppressures.weracetomaturity,togrowupallatonce.wewantpoise,selfconfidence,andlotsoffriends;wewanttobeaccepted.

thisneedforacceptanceremindsmeofanincidentthatoccurredinacampussororityhouseduringthe"rushingperiod"lastfall.asororitymemberofferedarusheeacigarette.eagertopleaseandnottoseemdifferent,thegirlblurtedoutaconfident,"oh,yes,i'dloveone!"theactivestruckamatch,heexcitementofthemomentshewasonlyconcernedwithbeingaccepted.

thenthereisthegirlwhoisseatedinagroup,notknowingwhattodowithherhands.first,sherollsandunrollsthecurlbehindherleftear;thensherummagesinherpurseforsomearticletowaveasaprop.aninspirationflashes,andsheremembersthepackageofkentsinhercoatpocket.whydidn'tshethinkofthembefore?shealwaysdidthinkwomenwhosmokedlookedmature.whataconvenientproptohavebroughtalong.convenient?yes,sophisticated?no.yearsago,awomanwasthoughtsophisticatedifsheknewhowtosmoke.menwereimpressed.buttodaythepictureischanging,aseveryoneknowshowtosmoke─ageelevenorup.perhapsnowthenoveltyshouldbethenonsmoker?

nowiaskyou.isawomancharmingifshecansitwithherhandsfoldedgracefullyinherlap,orisshemorecharmingwhilefidgetingwithonecigaretteafteranother?andyoumenspecifically─whichdoyouprefer─theladywhoneedsnopropstohavepoise,ortheladywhothinksacigarettemakeshermorealluringtoyou?takeagoodlookatawomansometimewhensheisinhaling.shedragshard,makesapuckeringnoisewithherlips,tossesherheadbackdrawingadeepbreath─thenbellowsthesmokeoutlikethegustfromarocketlaunching.shemayevengosofarastoblowsmokeringsforyou.isshedainty?isshefeminine?

thepowerofsuggestionisanotherstrongmotivatingfactorinourlives.haven'tyouwatchedsomeoneyawnandsuddenlyfeltyourownmouthgapeopen.youletthepowerofsuggestiongetthebestofyou;andbeforeyourealizedit,you,too,wereyawning.now,couldn'tthissamepowerinduceyoutosmoke?whynot,especiallythroughthemediumofadvertising.

iamremindedofa"mostlymalarky"cartoonthatirecentlyclippedoutofthechicagotribune.malarkystrolledintoadrugstore.standingbeforethecounter,hescratchedhisheadinsilence.finally,hemutteredtotheclerk,"iwantthethinkingman'scigarette,butican'tseemtothinkofthename."poormalarky.heonlywantedapackageofviceroyasthe"thinkingman'scigarette."afterall,ifheisathinkingman,ashethinksheis,heshould,byallmeans,smokehisownbrand.

advertisersarefurthertoyingwithmen'segosbyappealingtotheirhiddendesirestobeenergetic,vigorous,andpotent.marlboro,withitshairy-chestedmalesmoker,hassetthepace.thecigaretteismadetoprojecttheimageofarugged,rough-and-readyguy.doesn'tthisexplainwhymanycigaretteadsdisplaygreatflexingofmasculinemuscles?

thewoman,too,isavictimofadvertising.voguecigarettescatchhereye.why?becausetheyeinpastels.howperfectlyexcitingforthefemaleworld!justthink!shecannowbuycigarettestomatchherwardrobe;andwhat'smore,shecanpurchasematchingcigarettecasesandlightersinanycoloroftherainbow,withjewelsorwithout.

yes,wearefrequentlyvictimsofsuggestivedevices.dr.ernestdichtter,headoftheinstituteformotivationalresearch,hasconductedaseriesofstudiesforadagenciesonthesubjectofsmoking.hestates,"peoplesmoke,notbecauseofthetasteofcigarettes,butbecausesmokingprovidesthemwithcertainpsychologicalsatisfactionstheycangetinnootherway."headdsthatcigarettesareinvolvedinaman'sstruggleforsurvival,stability,andsecurity.iamafraidicannotagreewithdr.dichter,foribelievethatamancansurviveandcanfindsecuritywithoutcigarettes.heneedsfood,heneedsshelter,heneedsloveandpanionship;butcan'thesatisfytheseneedsinwaysotherthansmoking?

rationalizationmakesastrongimpactonourlives.arewecultivatingrationalizationsasanexcusetosmoke?iamafraidweare.nodoubt50percentofusherehaveusedasanexcusetocontinuesmoking,thisverymonremark,"ifieverstoppedsmoking,iwouldgaintenpounds."perhaps!acigaretteat4p.m.doesnotcontainthecaloriesthatamilkshakedoes.butthehealthywaytoloseexcesspoundsistoeattherightkindandtherightamountoffood.

weagainrationalizewhenwebuyfiltertipcigarettes.weassureourselvesthatthefilterreducesanydanger,butaccordingtothejuly,1957editionofreader'sdigest,"thetarandnicotinereductionpossiblethroughafilterrangesfrom7to17percent.thesepercentagesaretoosmalltobereallyprotective."withaperfectfilternosmokecouldseepthrough─justhotair.somanypeoplebelievethatfiltersarethesolutionthatfiltertipswillaccountforabouthalfofthisyear'soutput.can'tweadmitthatwearebeingdupedtoformahabitthatisdetrimentaltomankind─ahabitthatleadstoaddiction?

soyoubegintowonderifmaybeyoushouldquitsmoking─that,afterall,youareanindividual.whatwouldhappentoyoutomorrowifsomeconclusiveproofshouldsuddenlyeforth─proofthatcigarettesareaone-waytickettodeath?whatwouldyoudo?whodonotsmoke,you'veseenwhyothersstartthehabitandtheriskstheyaretaking.beonyourguard.you,whohavetheurgetostartsmoking─youareperchedonafenceandcanjumptoeitherside.whichwillyouchoose?andyou,whoarealreadyconfirmedsmokers,arenowconfrontedwiththehardestquestionofall.ifyouwantedtostopsmoking,"couldyou?couldyoubreaktheaddiction?"

jeannicot,thefrenchmanwhogavehisnametonicotine,believedthathehaddiscoveredamiracledrug.todaywetrytofilteroutnicotinebecauseofitsharmfulnature.themodernjeannicotsbelievethatsmokingmakesthewomanmoreattractive,moredesirable─themanmoremasculine,moreindependent.

wesaywearethinkingmen!well,arewethinking?cigarette,anyone?

到位了。神经命令心脏跳动加快。肾上腺激素开场涌动。神经促使人手脚处的血管开场收缩。皮肤的温度下降了，手指、脚趾渐渐变凉，血压升高了。这些病症是不是发生在一个酒鬼或一个吸毒成瘾者承受"治疗"的第一阶段？抑或是一个人正被弹射到外层太空？不！它们仅来自于吸了一支烟。然而，尽管这些吸烟有害安康的证据毋容置疑，并不断向人们发出警告，但吸烟人数还在不断增多。农业部估计，今年的香烟消费量将到达人均180包〔15岁以上者〕。这将意味着每人吸多少支？3600支。

为什么吸烟是一个如此严峻的问题？因为它不是许多人所认为的只是一个习惯问题。不，它远比习惯来得厉害。一个习惯能轻易地改变，而吸烟一旦上了瘾，就难以自拔了。芝加哥大学的丹尼尔·舒尔伯格曾经对西北一所较大的大学的226名学生就吸烟习惯问题做过一次调查──是什么原因使他们开场吸烟的？他们从吸烟中获得了什么快感？他们是否有戒烟的打算？从舒尔伯格的调查结果来看，那些学生想戒烟，但是办不到。

假如一个人吸烟上了瘾，他即在生理上对香烟产生了依赖感。假如这不是一种瘾的话，那它是什么？是什么力量能促使一个人在零度以下的恶劣天气里出门去买烟？假如必要的话，他甚至会在深夜开十英里车去寻找一个仍在营业的杂货店。假如那不是一种瘾的话，它又会是什么？它怎么会使原先一个迷人的女孩变成一个无所事事、游手好闲的人？

不久前，我和一个刚刚戒烟的教授进展了一次谈话。他告诉我你们大多数人道的：一旦抽上香烟，注意！因为要戒烟几乎不大可能。于是，我问他，他是如何养成了一天吸一包烟以上的习惯并持续了十年之后，能成功地戒掉了烟瘾。让我们来听听他的故事吧！

"唔，我在一开场的第一个星期里减少了吸烟的数量，每天只抽半包。在那段时间里，我很容易发脾气。稍有点不如意，就会使我极度烦躁，脑袋也像要裂开似的。第二个星期开场，我每天抽五支烟，那时，我的精神状态更糟了。在接着的第三个星期里，我试着嚼口香糖和薄荷糖，当然还有烟斗杆。坦白地说，能不能坚持下去，我也不能肯定。可不知怎么的，我还是做到了。"

听了他的故事，你们中的许多人知道他在说什么了。因为你们也曾经尝试过戒烟，只是你失败了。如今，让我们花几分钟来分析一下吸烟的根本动机。

这样说，也许我们可以让那些不吸烟的人〔我很快乐我自己属于这一类〕，在要吸烟时就消除这个念头，并鼓励那些已经上瘾的烟民减少吸烟数量。

让我们从外界压力影响这个角度开场分析。我们希望成熟，希望一下子能长大。我们需要平衡、自信和朋友，我们更期盼被人承受。

这种希望承受的愿望使我想到了一件事。那是去年秋天，在一所大学的女生联谊晚会里发生的事。那时，正在举行一个争取新会员的活动。一个联谊会成员给一位新生一支烟。这个新进大学的女孩急迫地想取悦别人，不愿做得与众不同，于是，她自信地脱口而出："噢，好的，我很想来一支！"于是，那个递烟的人划了根火柴，平静地伸出手去给她点烟。与此同时，这个新生慌慌张张地拿着烟迎了上去。看着她的样子，递烟的人震惊了。你可想像那复杂的表情。一方面，她努力抑制着自己，不让自己笑出声来；另一方面，她又深深地理解这个可怜的新生──她以前从未吸过烟。而这个新来的女孩在这个冲动的时刻，什么也不顾，只在意她是否被承受了。

让我们再来看一个例子。在一堆人中，坐着一个女孩，她不知道自己的手该怎么放。一开场，她用手反复地拨弄着左耳后的卷发，接着翻弄着钱袋，想找东西握在手里，这样可显得自然些。突然一个念头从她脑子里冒出来，她记起在外衣口袋里还有一包健牌烟。为什么她不早些想到它们呢？她一直认为吸烟的女人看上去更成熟一些。拿着香烟打发双手该有多方便啊！方便？是的。老练？不！在许多年前，一个女人要是知道如何吸烟，人们会认为她很老练，男人们也会被她吸引住的。但是如今，这种观念早就不存在了，因为，如今每个人都知道如何吸烟，甚至八岁的孩子也不例外。如今，不吸烟可能反而是件新颖事了。

如今让我来问你，假如一个女人坐着，双手穿插着优雅地放在膝上，而另一个女人，双手一支接着一支地抽着烟，哪一个更有魅力？有一个女人不需要任何物体来平衡她的手脚，另一个女人却认为烟能使她对男人更具诱惑力。作为一个男人，详细地说──你喜欢哪一个？好好看看一个女人吸烟的样子，你会看到，她狠命地吸烟，撅起双唇发出一阵"嘶嘶"声，接着往后一仰，把烟深深地吸了进去然后就像火箭发射时喷出的尾气一样，大口地喷出烟雾。她甚至还会向你吐烟圈。这么一个女人，你能说她俊俏，你能说她有女人味？

在我们的生活中，暗示的力量是促使我们行动的另一个关键因素。你有没有这样的经历，当你看到别人打呵欠时，你也会不由自主地打起呵欠来？原来，这已影响了你，在你还没意识到你将干什么之前，你已经这么干了，这种同样的暗示力量会不会也促使你去吸烟呢？怎么不会呢？尤其是广告媒体的影响。

我回想起最近我从?芝加哥论坛?上剪下来的一个名叫"莫斯特立·马拉基"的卡通画，内容讲的是马拉基逛进了一个杂货店，他站在柜台前一言不发，却使劲地抓脑袋，最后，他向售货员嘀咕道："我想买有头脑的人吸的烟，可是我好似想不起它的名字来了。"可怜的马拉基，他想要的仅仅是一包总督牌香烟，广告商却把它描绘成有头脑的人抽的香烟。毕竟，每个人都认为自己是一个有头脑的人，人都是这样认为自己的，他无论如何应该吸自己牌子的烟。

广告商们不断地玩弄男人的自我，即激发他们那种想要精力充分，充满活力、安康力的内心愿望。万宝路，起了带头作用。它的烟盒上是一个长满胸毛的男子汉。于是，万宝路就有了一个粗暴的、豪放不羁的男人形象。这难道不正解