Behavioural Aspects of Cigarette Smoking in Relation to Arousal Level

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that cigarette smokers use smoking to control arousal level 160 habitual light and heavy cigarette smokers of both sexes smoked a standard cigarette and simulated smoking under conditions eliciting either low or high arousal. Under high arousal heavy smokers exhibited a significant reduction in rate of smoking but not in simulating smoking. From other evidence it was argued that, although this group may use smoking as a means of arousal control, it appears that smokers in general smoke at a faster rate when there is little else to do.