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Science Agrees, Smokers Are Neurotic and Impulsive

A good one off the research wires today: a paper to published in the journal _Nicotine and Tobacco Research_ looked at smokers between the ages of 18 and 25 and found marked increases in two personality traits, "impulsivity – acting without thinking...

A good one off the research wires today: a paper to be published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research looked at smokers between the ages of 18 and 25 and found marked increases in two personality traits, “impulsivity – acting without thinking about the consequences” and “neuroticism – being emotionally negative and anxious, most of the time.” So there.

“The data indicate that for some young adults smoking is impulsive,” says Andrew Littlefield, a doctoral student in the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Science, in a press blast. “That means that 18-year-olds are acting without a lot of forethought and favor immediate rewards over long term negative consequences. They might say, ‘I know smoking is bad for me, but I’m going to do it anyway.’ However, we find individuals who show the most decreases in impulsivity also are more likely quit smoking. If we can target anti-smoking efforts at that impulsivity, it may help the young people stop smoking.”

The young people.

I tend to quit smoking when I stop liking it. Which, if I understand correctly, makes me an anomaly in all kinds of ways. When I say “quit” I mean “stop” and not engage in some tedious process involving patches and toothpicks. It’s weird — I just stop and it’s OK. In any case, I find that I am wicked neurotic and impulsive whether or not I currently have cigarettes in my life.

Reach this writer at michaelb@motherboard.tv.