Female Smokers Have A Warped Body Image

Put down the Parliaments, ladies - it's time for a little tough (self) love.

According to a new study published in Abnormal Behaviors, women who smoke are more likely to diet, binge, and feel unhappy with their bodies, causing them to seek solace in their smoking habit. They also "need to become more realistic about body image and pay attention to unhealthful eating patterns - particularly if they are already overweight," reports NewsDaily.com.

The study, conducted by the Nicotine Research Laboratory at the University of Michigan, analyzed 587 women between the ages of 18 and 55; 420 of the women smoked, and 167 had never lit up. The women were asked to look at silhouette images of 10 different body types and select the one they viewed as ideal. The body types selected by the women who smoked were slimmer than those chosen by non-smokers, signaling a preoccupation with unrealistic thinness.

The study also suggests that women turn to smoking because they fear quitting will make them gain weight.

"The problem here is getting women who are concerned about their weight to be willing to try to make a quit attempt, and then helping them gain a sense of control over their weight," says study author Cindy Pomerleau.