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Does smoking really reduce stress?
Many smokers claim that smoking has a calming effect and reduces their feeling of stress. In fact, the opposite is true.
Smoking actually causes stress. When lighting up, smokers experience a slight increase in blood pressure, a narrowing of their arteries and an increase in their heart rate. Quite the opposite of a state of relaxation.
The feeling that smokers have of greater relaxation comes from the fact that they confuse “stress” and “withdrawal symptoms”. The longer they wait before smoking another cigarette, the greater are the withdrawal effects that they feel, such as nervousness, irritability and problems with concentration. The “miracle” is that these symptoms disappear in just a few seconds, as soon as they light up again. However, this sense of wellbeing simply comes from the fact that the withdrawal symptoms have been removed. This link between stress and smoking is part of an “anticipatory belief”. When smokers are obliged not to smoke, they convince themselves that the next cigarette will make them feel good.
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