Smoking - One of the Few Smokers Pleasures
Quality of life is derived from an explicit theory of human need. The measure, CASP-19, consists of 19 Liker scale items, which cover four theoretical domains: tobacco control, autonomy, self-realization and pleasure.
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School studied the relationship between smoking and psychological wellbeing.
Dr. Lang and his colleagues 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. And the difference was even more pronounced in smokers from lower socio-economic groups.
This research showed that smoking doesn’t make smokers happy as they think.
Dr. Lang and his team carried out a study involving 9176 individuals aged 50 and 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.
Dr. Lang said that they 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.
He added that maybe 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.
The result of this study shows that smoking doesn’t make smokers happy. And 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.
