December 2, 2010 - Cigarettes have been thought to decrease anxiety and depression, however, recent research suggests that smokers are happier when they are being successful at quitting smoking. The study concludes that quitting is not a grim psychological sacrifice, as some smokers believe, but rather a step to improve mental and physical health.

A total of 236 men and women seeking to quit smoking, who were also heavy social drinkers, participated in the study. The subjects received nicotine patches and counseling on quitting for 28 weeks. Those who quit temporarily had the brightest moods when they were abstinent and had darker moods when they went back to smoking. Those who never quit smoking had the unhappiest moods throughout the study.

The study helps to debunk the theory that cigarettes are an effective antidepressant and shows that quitting smoking is a way to help ease depressive symptoms.

For more information please visit:
http://scienceblog.com/40729/kicking-the-habit-study-suggests-that-quitting-smoking-improves-mood/