Smokers may find cigarettes easier to resist when they smell things they enjoy like peppermint or chocolate, a small study suggests. Most adult smokers say they want to quit, and many try. But about half of smokers who attempt to stop smoking relapse within two weeks, researchers note in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.
"There are many approaches that people use for smoking cessation, including nicotine products (e.g., nicotine gum, nicotine patch), medication, and behavioral approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and meditation," said lead study author Michael Sayette, a psychology researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. "But quitting smoking remains an awfully difficult challenge and novel approaches, either alone or in conjunction with existing interventions, are sorely needed," Sayette said by email.
The current study tested one novel option - using smokers' cravings for certain appealing smells - in 232 smokers who weren't trying to quit or using any other tobacco-replacement products like nicotine gum or e-cigarettes. Researchers asked participants not to smoke for eight hours prior to the experiment and required them to bring a pack of their preferred cigarettes and a lighter with them to the lab.
Upon arrival, the people first smelled and rated a number of different odors generally considered to be pleasant like chocolate, apple, peppermint and vanilla, or unpleasant, like a mushroom-derived chemical. Participants also smelled one odor from tobacco leaves, and an odorless product that served as "blank" or neutral scent for comparison.