New scientific research, published in the Annals of Behavioural Medicine, has shown that quitting smoking actually makes you happier.

‘€œIf you thought you’€™d have more stress, that quitting would put more stress on your relationships, or that you’€™ll feel worse forever, that isn’€™t the case,’€ study author Megan E. Piper from the University of Wisconsin in the United States said in a HealthDay News report.

Scientific evidence

Piper and colleagues wanted to see if they could find scientific evidence to back up anecdotal assumptions about smokers feeling better after they give up smoking.

They examined trends over time by comparing people who kept smoking to those who quit.

They looked at the results of surveys of 1 504 people who took part in a smoking cessation study. Researchers followed the participants for three years and tested their blood to get an accurate indication of whether or not they have been smoking or not. They also asked the participants question about their quality of life, including questions about self-regard, standard of living, relationships, friendships and more.

Study results

Overall quality of life went down for both the groups who quit- and carried on smoking, but it went down less for the quitters. Piper argues that it is common for a person’€™s quality of life to reduce as their age increase. She added that ‘€œthis is just a little bit of additional scientific evidence that things will get better if you can get through those first couple of months.’€

Although the findings don’€™t prove cause-and-effect, the authors suggest that life satisfaction could be used as a motivating tool for people reluctant to quit smoking.

Source: HealthDay News