Smoking doesn't make you happy

March 6, 2008

If you are planning to ignore the messages of national No Smoking Day on 12th March by claiming that smoking is one of the few pleasures left to you, then recent research from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England may make you think again.

Extensive research carried out by Dr Iain Lang at the Peninsula Medical School looked at the relationship between smoking and psychological wellbeing. Dr Lang and colleagues used a measure of quality of life called the CASP-19 and found that smokers experienced lower average levels of pleasure and life satisfaction compared with non-smokers. The difference was even more pronounced in smokers from lower socio-economic groups.

In short – smoking doesn’t make you happy.

Dr. Lang and his team carried out a study involving 9176 individuals aged 50 or over, who took part in ELSA, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The studies for the research categorised people as never-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers, and used household wealth as an indicator for socio-economic position.

Said Dr. Lang: “We found no evidence to support the claim that smoking is associated with pleasure, either in people from lower socio-economic groups or in the general population.”

He added: “People may feel like they’re getting pleasure when they smoke a cigarette but in fact smokers are likely to be less happy overall – the pleasure they feel from having a smoke comes only because they’re addicted. These results show smoking doesn’t make you happy – in fact, it is associated with poorer overall quality of life. Anyone thinking of giving up smoking should understand that quitting will be better for them in terms of their well-being – as well as their physical health – in the long-run.”

Source: The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry

4.7 /5 (7 votes)  

Rank 4.7 /5 (7 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Neurologic improvement detected in rats receiving stem cell transplant

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report that early transplantation of human placenta-derived mesenchymal ...

Medicine & Health / Research

created 54 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study finds stress hormones fluctuate with mood during pregnancy

(Medical Xpress) -- While pregnant, women pay particular attention to factors such as diet and exercise to ensure their babies are born healthy and develop normally. New research from the University of Calgary’s Faculty ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 14 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Sleep breathing machine shows clear benefits in children with sleep apnea

Children and adolescents with obstructive sleep apnea had substantial improvements in attention, anxiety and quality of life after treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP)—a nighttime therapy in which a machine ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Breastfeeding protects against asthma up to six years of age

(Medical Xpress) -- Research by the University of Otago in Christchurch and Wellington has shown that breastfeeding of infants has a clear protective effect against children developing asthma or wheezing up to six years of ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 24 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Clinical trial teaches binge eaters to toss away cravings

Of 190 million obese Americans, approximately 10-15 percent engage in harmful binge eating. During single sittings, these over-eaters consume large servings of high-caloric foods. Sufferers contend with weight gain and depression ...

Medicine & Health / Health

created 56 minutes ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0


Protein libraries in a snap

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Rice University undergraduate will depart with not only a degree but also a possible patent for his invention of an efficient way to create protein libraries, an important component of biomolecular ...

NASA budget will axe Mars deal with Europe: scientists

US President Barack Obama's budget proposal to be submitted next week for 2013 will cut NASA's budget by 20 percent and eliminate a major partnership with Europe on Mars exploration, scientists said Thursday.

Zynga partners with toy maker Hasbro

Old school toy maker Hasbro and online social game star Zynga on Thursday announced a partnership to mesh the Internet firm's hits with real-world products.

Humans may have helped the decline of African rainforests 3000 years ago

(PhysOrg.com) -- Large areas of rainforests in Central Africa mysteriously disappeared over three thousand years ago, to be replaced by savannas. The prevailing theory has been that the cause was a change ...

Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Miami battling invasion of giant African snails

No one knows how they got there. But an invasion of African giant snails has southern Florida in a panic over potential crop damage, disease and general yuckiness surrounding the slimy gastropods.