Emotional effects of nicotine on smokers and non-smokers

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 22 Jan 2004 - 0:00 PDT


When non-smokers were given a laboratory dose of nicotine, they experienced negative emotions. Smokers, on the other hand, experienced the opposite emotion. Smokers, when given lab doses of nicotine experienced a sense of satisfaction.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh in a study (in the current issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research) said that nicotine plays with the emotions of smokers and non-smokers in completely different ways.

Ex-smokers had the same sensation as smokers (when given a laboratory dose of nicotine). They felt more energized (UK spelling: energised).

They also said that non-smokers experienced more of a head-rush after being given the nicotine (than smokers and ex-smokers).

There were 93 people in the study. They were asked to rate their feeling on 23 measures of emotion (after being given the dose). The 23 emotions were then grouped into five main categories.

This could help researchers understand more deeply the link between the emotional effects of nicotine and individual genetic, personality or sensation-seeking traits.

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