According to a new study it is found that it could be easier to quit smoking with the right incentives.

Smoking is a habit which is not easy to quit, people have tried many ways to quit smoking but without success. Some methods include e-cigarette etc.

The right incentive is just simply money.

The study id conducted by the researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

The study revealed that smokers who had invested $150 were more likely to quit than the smokers who did not have to wager any of their own money.

Dr. Troyen Brennan, study co-author said, “As we think about novel approaches to smoking cessation, these findings provide evidence that financial incentives can be a powerful motivator.”

Dr. Scott Halpern, the lead author of the study said, “This study is one of the first to compare incentive programs that first require deposits and programs that entail pure rewards to promote healthy behaviors. The results are fully consistent with the behavioral theory that people are typically more motivated to avoid losses than to seek gains.”

2,500 people participated in the study; the participants were offered the typical care for smoking cessation. It included guides from American Cancer Society, local resource information and free access to behavioral modification programs.

The need to make a monetary deposit is deterring many people to participate. Deposit requiring incentive programs are robust and can produce long term results and also help in changing complex health behaviors.

Dr Halpern said, incentive programs which required people to deposit $150 of their own money were found to be less effective than the reward based programs of similar value; the reason for this is, only few people accepted deposit programs.

The findings of the study are published in New England Journal of Medicine.