The findings have raised concern among public health experts about the unintended consequences of EU-­mandated picture warnings designed to reduce smoking rates.

The research, led by a team at the Technological University of the ­Shannon (TUS), examined reactions to one image of a woman exhaling cigarette smoke. It revealed that despite the intended purpose, to deter use, some of those surveyed reported ­positive emotional responses.

The study, which surveyed 607 ­people in Ireland, asked individuals to ­describe their response to one of 14 EU warning images, which was viewed as open to interpretation. Over half (54pc) reacted negatively to the image, using words such as “death”, “anxiety”, “stress” and “self-harm”.

In contrast, 22pc of respondents reported the image evoked feelings of

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