Smoking Does Not Make People Happy: Study

If you think that fagging gives pleasure, think again, for according to a new research smokers experience lower average levels of happiness and life satisfaction when compared to non-smokers.

Extensive research carried out by Dr Iain Lang at the Peninsula Medical School examined the relationship between smoking and psychological well-being.

In the study, the researchers 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.

The study involved 9176 individuals aged 50 or over, who took part in ELSA, the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The studies for the research categorized people as never-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers, and used household wealth as an indicator for socio-economic position.

'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,' Lang said.

'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.

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'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,' he added.

Source-ANI
SRM/L