These are the psychological perks of quitting smoking

While some smokers worry that quitting will take away their quick stress-reliever, research shows that those who stop actually have less depression, anxiety and stress. — TNS

Smoking is the world’s leading cause of preventable illness and death.

One in every two persons who smokes will die of a smoking-related disease unless they quit.

Some people believe that smoking helps reduce stress and other mental health symptoms, and that quitting smoking might make their mental health problems worse.

People who smoke may also worry that stopping will have a negative impact on their social lives and friendships.

However, a review, published in the Cochrane Library on March 9 (2021), found that people who stopped smoking for at least six weeks, experienced less depression, anxiety and stress, than people who continued to smoke.

People who quit also experienced more positive feelings and better psychological wellbeing.

Giving up smoking did not have an impact on the quality of their social relationships, and it is possible that it may be associated with a small improvement in social wellbeing.

The review summarises evidence from 102 observational studies involving over 169,500 people.

The authors combined the results from 63 of these studies, which measured changes in mental health symptoms in people who stopped smoking, with changes occurring in people who continued to smoke.

They also combined results from 10 studies that measured how many people developed a mental health disorder during the study.

The studies involved a wide range of people, including those with mental health conditions and those with long-term physical illnesses.

The length of time the studies followed the participants varied, with the shortest being six weeks and the longest up to six years.

The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate.

Lead author Dr Gemma Taylor from the Addiction & Mental Health Group at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, said: “We found that stopping smoking was associated with small to moderate improvements in mood.

“The benefits of smoking cessation on mood seem to be similar in a range of people, and most crucially, there is no reason to fear that people with mental health conditions will experience a worsening of their health if they stop smoking.

“Our confidence in the precise size of the benefit is limited due to the way the studies were designed, and future studies that can overcome those challenges will greatly strengthen the evidence about the impacts of smoking cessation on mental health.”

She added: “Many people who smoke are concerned that quitting could disrupt their social networks and lead to feelings of loneliness.

“People can be reassured that stopping smoking does not seem to have a negative impact on the social quality of life.

“People may also be concerned that quitting is stressful.

“The evidence shows that stress is reduced in people who stop smoking and that there are likely longer-term benefits for their mental health.”

The review was done by a team of researchers from the Universities of Bath, Birmingham and Oxford in the UK, and New York University in the United States.