PITTSBURGH, Aug 26, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Pittsburgh researchers say they
have a fix on why smokers find it tough to quit cold turkey.
A new study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of
Pittsburgh published in the September issue of Psychological Science, concludes
that smokers not currently in a state of craving a cigarette will necessarily
underestimate the intensity of their future urge to smoke.
"Exploring the cold-to-hot empathy gap in smokers," looked at the tendency for
people in a "cold" state to mispredict their own behavior when in a "hot" state,
such as when hungry or fatigued. The researchers studied 98 male and female
smokers in each of the two groups, with monetary reward requirements for
quitting offered at different stages to test the smokers levels of temptation.
"These findings suggest that smokers are likely to underpredict their own future
desire to smoke when they're not craving a cigarette," study co-author and
Carnegie Mellon professor George Loewenstein said. "The research not only has
implications for helping smokers quit, but it also enlightens us on how
non-smokers may pick up the habit.
"If smokers can't appreciate the intensity of their need to smoke when they
aren't currently craving, what's the likelihood that people who have never
smoked can do so?"
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