The study by the University of Aberdeen and the University of Zurich tracked the behaviour of 100 couples with one smoker and one non-smoker.
In the study, smokers and their partners were asked to use mobile phones to keep a diary of the support their partner offered prior to and after their pre-set quit date. They were then followed up to monitor their progress in stopping smoking.
Dr Gertraud Stadler, senior lecturer in health psychology at the University of Aberdeen, said: "These results are really helpful when making a plan to stop smoking.
"According to this study, the smoker`s chance of stopping smoking would increase if we can train the partners to give more tailored support according to the smokers` habits.
"The whole idea behind these studies was to really understand what happens on a day to day basis when one partner quits smoking and importantly, what the other can do to help them.
"We asked couples to keep diaries ten days before the smoker tried to quit and for 21 days after. This meant we could look at whether quitting success differs whether the non-smoking partner provides support beforehand or after the quit date.
"We found that support was most beneficial when given after the quit date. This makes sense given that this was when the help was really needed.
"We know that there are many things that are not helpful in stopping smoking - such as nagging or trying to control the situation.
"These results show that we should encourage the partner to offer emotional support as well as practical help like taking care of the kids. There are lots of things that partners can do to help their significant others quit."
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