A study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Vol. 121, No.1) reveals that researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, have discovered that smoking a cigarette may restore self-control after it has been depleted.
The researchers recruited a total of 132 nicotine dependent smokers, who were split into two groups, a test group and a control group. The participants were asked to view an emotional video that shows environmental damage. One group in the study expressed their natural emotional reactions, i.e. no depletion of self-control, whilst the second group suppressed their responses, i.e. self-control depletion. The researchers then allowed half of the participants in each group to smoke a cigarette before asking all participants to complete a frustrating task that required self-control
Smoking Might Restore Self-Control
At the end, the researchers suggest that smokers learn alternative methods for restoring self-control. An example given was drinking a sugar-laden beverage. (No wonder former smokers gain so much weight!)
I left a comment that a different approach would be for smokers to switch to alternative sources of nicotine. Comments are moderated, so we will see whether it is published.