Researchers Say Nicotine Craving May Be More Mental than Physical

Israeli researchers who studied nicotine craving among flight attendants concluded that the desire for a cigarette may have more to do with habit than addiction to nicotine, UPI reported July 19.

Study author Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University and colleagues found that smoking flight attendants who were deprived of nicotine during 10-13 hour flights experienced no more craving than those on 3-5 hour flights; rather, craving appeared to be higher at the end of the shorter flights, researchers found.

“These findings might not be popular with advocates of the nicotine addiction theory, because they undermine the physiological role of nicotine and emphasize mind over matter when it comes to smoking,” said Dar.

The study was published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.