Smoking Doesn't Make You Happy

If you succumb to the hypnotic advertising of the cigarette industry, you could be convinced that smoking will make you happy.  Aren't people in cigarette ads young, vibrant, sexy and happy?

Recent research from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England concluded

"Smoking Doesn't Make You Happy".

Dr. Lang and his team studied 9176 individuals over 50.  These people were participating in a longitudinal study of aging.

Dr. Lang's conclusions were:

“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.”

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.”

Dr. Lang's research suggests that unhappy people are more likely to smoke and perhaps that is why they feel happier when they smoke.  However in reality, smoking was associated with a poorer quality of life.

Perhaps people who smoke a lot are not only addicted, but motivated to deny and avoid becoming aware of the unhappiness in their lives. 

From a mental fitness perspective it is important to identify the sources of unhappiness in our lives and then set goals to find genuine happiness.  In fact, changing how we think about life circumstances and our lives can generate genuine happiness.

Remember, We Live within the Environment Created by Our Choices!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach