Abstract
Given the healthcare and economic consequences due to smoking, we draw from Cognitive Dissonance Theory to investigate how the deployment of a mHealth intervention based on hypocrisy induction may affect smoking cessation outcomes. It introduces and operationalizes Digitized Hypocrisy Induction (DHI) as a two-step procedure: a) Asking participants to advocate a pro-health position, and b) using technology-based features to remind them of their ‘transgressions’ in failure. Our research hypothesizes how individuals exposed to DHI change in their smoking behavior via induction of negative affective states, compared to those not exposed. To test these hypotheses, we developed a mHealth intervention named HappyLungs based on the principles of DHI. For the next step, we will deploy and assess the intervention in a smoking clinic via a randomized controlled trial.
Recommended Citation
Ong, Zhi Peng; Zhuo, Yaohong; Ong, Zhi Quan; and Teo, Hock Hai, "Digitized Hypocrisy Induction Towards Smoking Cessation: Development and Evaluation in a Controlled Trial" (2025). ICEB 2025 Proceedings (Hanoi, Vietnam). 47.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/iceb2025/47