Cigarette Calm Down Smokers

Researchers found that individuals who participated in an investigation smoked cheapest cigarettes to regain self control of their negative emotions and to keep their composure. A press release on March 19 from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. supported the premise that tobacco smoking affects an individual’s self control resources. Additionally, the study showed by restoring the self control in participants, it also puts individuals in a more positive mood. This specific finding implies that the lack of intrapersonal self control in individuals may possibly be a contributor to tobacco addiction.
"Our main goal was to study whether tobacco smoking affects an individual's self-control resources," said lead author Bryan W. Heckman, M.A., a graduate student at the Moffitt Tobacco Research and Intervention Program and the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida. "We also found that smoking cheap Gauloises cigs did have a restorative effect on an individual's depleted self-control resources," declared Heckman. "But smoking restored self-control, in part, by improving smokers' positive mood. Smoking is of course a maladaptive way to restore self-control… Finding other ways to relax or enhance one's mood would be much healthier alternatives. In fact, even raising glucose level - perhaps by consuming a sugary drink - has been shown to restore self-control.
Previously, an article in the journal, Behavioral and Brain Functions (2009) suggests that nicotine may alter the brain’s activity that is involved in the inhibition of negative emotions such as anger. The authors of the study stated this could be the rationale for those who are easily angered to be more susceptible to nicotine addiction. The previous findings support the recent study in which individuals who are depleted of self control abilities (angers easily) are more prone to resort to cigarette smoking. Nicotine has been associated with enhanced performance on cognitive activities, but this study was the first to focus on the effects of individuals’ self control.