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Study: Smoking doesn't make you happy

Published: March 11, 2008 at 1:59 PM

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PLYMOUTH, England, March 11 (UPI) -- Researchers in Britain found smoking does not bring psychological well-being, especially to those less wealthy.

Using a measure of quality of life called the CASP-19, researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in Plymouth, England, found smokers experience lower average levels of pleasure and life satisfaction than non-smokers. The difference is even more pronounced in smokers from lower socio-economic groups.

"We 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," study leader Dr. Iain Lang said in a statement.

"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 fell from having a smoke comes only because they're addicted," Lang added. "These results show smoking doesn't make you happy -- in fact, it is associated with poorer overall quality of life."

Lang's team is using data gathered from 9,176 individuals over age 50 taking part in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. The study participants were categorized as never-smokers, ex-smokers and current smokers.

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