The answer is nuanced: smoking might seem sexier to some people, especially smokers themselves, but overall, it's unlikely to make you more attractive.
Here's a breakdown:
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Perception Differences: Studies suggest that smokers tend to view other smokers as more attractive than nonsmokers do. Conversely, nonsmokers tend to find smokers less attractive.
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Study Findings: Beech and Whittaker's research showed that while smokers rated smoking models as equally intelligent as nonsmoking models, they rated smoking models as more attractive. Nonsmokers rated smoking models as less intelligent and less attractive.
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Social Conditioning: Historically, smoking has been associated with rebelliousness and sophistication, which might contribute to its perceived allure in certain contexts. This perception is lessening over time as smoking is less normalized.
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Objective Attractiveness: It's important to separate subjective perception from objective qualities. Smoking has undeniable negative health consequences, which can visibly impact attractiveness over time (e.g., premature aging, teeth staining, bad breath).
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Health Concerns Outweigh Perceived Benefits: Even if some find smoking initially attractive, the long-term health consequences usually outweigh any perceived initial benefits to attractiveness.
In short, the perception of smoking as sexy is largely dependent on the observer and is not an inherent quality of the act itself. While some smokers may find other smokers more attractive, nonsmokers generally do not, and the health consequences ultimately detract from overall attractiveness.
