App that makes you feel uncomfortable about smoking may help you quit

NCT ID NCT04893460

Completed Symptom relief Sponsor: Oregon Research Behavioral Intervention Strategies, Inc. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026

Summary

This study tested a mobile app called CoQuit that uses cognitive dissonance—the mental discomfort of holding conflicting beliefs—to motivate smokers to quit. 72 adult daily smokers used the app for 25 days, completing activities like writing a letter to a young person about smoking. The app aimed to increase feelings of dissonance and reduce the number of cigarettes smoked per day.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: CoQuit App (a mobile app that uses cognitive dissonance exercises to help people stop smoking)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost mobile app that helps people quit smoking by changing how they think about their habit.
What could go wrong: This was a very small, early feasibility study with only 72 participants and no comparison group. The app may not be effective for everyone, and results may not apply to the general population.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

nicotine dependence Smoking Cessation

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

SMOKING CESSATION

Contacts and locations

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Locations

ORBIS/Oregon Research Institute

Springfield, Oregon, 97477, United States

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