HHS HealthBeat (February 13, 2009)

The Smoking Habit

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From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

How much power is in will power? For people trying to quit smoking, there may be less than they think. Researchers say just seeing pictures of someone else smoking can trigger the smoking habit.

Joseph McClernon of Duke University Medical Center examined brain scans of smokers who just had a cigarette and those who went without for 24 hours. Both groups saw pictures of smokers. The smokers who went without had greater activity in parts of the brain associated with things we do out of habit.

McClernon’s conclusion:

[Joseph McClernon speaks] "What we think is that will power is not enough. It is not enough to say, `I want to stay quit and I’m going to do this.’"

So controlling those cues to smoke also is important.

The study in Psychopharmacology was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

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HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: February, 17 2009